Ways to Say
by SilverLinedApathy
Summary: Over the course of their relationship, Haru and his girlfriend discover that there are many ways to say those three special words. HaruOC. Rated for language and themes.
1. It Reminded Me of You

Dark grey eyes gazed out the window without really seeing the people on the street below. Kiyoko sat on the window seat in the living room of her cozy apartment, lost in thought. There wasn't really any homework left for her to do; she was a week ahead on her assignments, since she had been using school to pass the time. Her next shift at the restaurant she worked at wasn't until Sunday morning and it was Friday night. Normally, she would be hanging out with her boyfriend, but he had been gone for nearly two weeks for a swimming competition.

Kiyoko was happy that his swimming career was really picking up. This was a huge opportunity for him, and she was undoubtedly supportive, but she would be lying if she said she hadn't been lonely. They had never been one of those couples who constantly clung to each other, but he was a steady presence in her life and had been since they met their first year of college. They had started dating the summer before their second, and now they were seniors. It had been a long time since she had gone so long without seeing him, and it had been a while since they talked, too, considering he hardly ever remembered his cell phone.

The young woman tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear and shifted to look up at the sky. There were too many lights in the city, making it impossible to see any stars. She thought briefly about texting Makoto to see if he wanted to catch a late night movie, but decided against the idea. There was something strangely appealing about the thought of just wallowing on the window seat. Pushing herself to her feet, she made a trip to the kitchen where she grabbed a carton of coconut milk ice cream and a spoon. She popped open the lid and dug the spoon in before heading back to her perch.

After tapping the button on her phone, Kiyoko sighed. Still no messages from Haru. That warranted a sizeable bite of ice cream. Would this be their future? Her sitting at home alone waiting for him to come back from some competition or another? Not that she was doing quite that, as they lived in separate apartments, but still.

"I need to stop thinking so negatively," she muttered, scooping up another bite of ice cream.

Their relationship was solid, albeit a bit unusual. Haru was a unique person, and that definitely translated to their friendship and dating life. They had grown close slowly over their first year of friendship. He was quiet and reserved at first, and had several painfully obvious quirks, but Kiyoko soon came to realize that he was an incredibly thoughtful, caring individual who was always watching and listening to those around him. He could tell when Makoto was putting on a happy face for his friends, he could tell when Rin was beginning to feel as if he was approaching a wall in his training, when Sousuke was feeling particularly down about not being on a competitive track like his fellow swimmers. And she noticed that in time, he was rather in tune to her moods as well. He could tell when she was stressed about classes, or when she was upset because of the pressure her parents put on her. It was probably that quiet attentiveness that first drew her in. But in dating, she had to learn that it was mostly through actions that Haru communicated most complex or personal feelings.

Most of her friends didn't understand how she was still with him. They thought they looked adorable together, but all agreed she was a saint for being so patient with him. It had taken weeks to be able to hold his hand without him tensing up, and hugs had taken several more. They kissed for the first time nine weeks into their relationship. It had definitely been slow going from there as well, but it had been worth it. Despite his awkwardness and general aversion to overt romance, Haru was subtly and constantly caring.

"Too bad he can never find his phone to freaking call me," she grumbled, swirling her spoon along the sides of the carton to catch the ice cream that was beginning to melt.

Her thoughts shifted to school, going over test dates and papers she had to write. There was an upcoming test in Theories of Personality, a paper in Psychology of Trauma… did she have something for English Literature in a couple weeks too? She made a mental note to check her syllabus before bed.

Kiyoko leaned her head against the window, eyes wandering over the skyline illuminated by the lights from the many tall buildings which made up downtown. She liked living in the middle of things, though she really missed the quiet and nature of home sometimes.

Another tap on her phone informed her that it was almost 11pm. She wished she was drowsier, so she could just go to bed. Maybe she should have texted Makoto. Then she wouldn't be down half a carton of ice cream and she wouldn't be thinking about Haru again.

"You need to get a dog or something."

Kiyoko jumped at the voice coming from mere feet away. Her heart hammered away wildly in her chest, and her grey eyes were wide, finding the source of the comment. There stood Haru in his sweatpants and university swim team jacket, his hair slightly ruffled and eyes looking tired.

"I got all the way in here without you even noticing," he continued.

Kiyoko ignored him, practically throwing down the ice cream so she could engulf her boyfriend in a hug. She scolded, "You didn't tell me you were back!"

"I only got back half an hour ago. I didn't even stop at my apartment first."

"Thanks," she said softly, hugging tighter for a moment before pulling away. "Do you want to stay here tonight?"

He nodded and sunk to the cushioned window seat. Kiyoko felt guilty, seeing how tired he was. She slowly moved to sit, too, and said, "We can head to bed now, if you want." Haru just shook his head in the negative. The young woman was silent a moment before asking, "How did it go?"

"Good," he answered. "I won the 100 meter and the 200 meter, but got fourth in the 400 meter."

"Well, you can't win them all," she said gently.

He nodded and said, "I have a feeling endurance will be the focus of my training from now on."

"How did Rin do?"

"He did well, too. He won the 100 meter butterfly, and placed in his other runs."

"That's good," she said with a smile.

Sapphire eyes gazed at her and he asked, "How have you been?"

"Good," she answered simply.

He stared at her for a moment before challenging, "Really?"

"I missed you," she amended.

Haru nodded and said, "I wish I had been able to call more often. I like listening to you talk about your day."

Kiyoko smiled at his way of returning the sentiment. She wordlessly handed him the carton of ice cream and her spoon, which he accepted and began digging into.

"Coach would kill me if he knew I was eating ice cream right after a competition."

She laughed and said, "It's dairy free, so that's a plus. Also, you're all muscle, and I don't think a little ice cream will change that."

"Perks of having a lactose intolerant girlfriend," he nodded, taking another bite.

"I'm glad you enjoy it."

They sat in a comfortable silence as Haru slowly finished off the rest of the carton. When he had finished, the couple merely looked out the window for a while. When Kiyoko could feel his gaze on her, she turned to him with a quirked brow.

"Do you miss being home?"

"I miss the stars and being close to the beach," she shrugged. "But I really like the city, too."

Haru nodded again. "Our mid semester break is coming up. I have to train for the last three days of it, but did you want to go home for the first four?"

"Really?" she asked. "You'd want to go home for just a few days?"

"If you wanted to. We could stay at my parents' house. It's not like they're using it for anything."

"Alright," she agreed with a smile. "Let's go get your stuff and lay in my bed."

"Okay."

They moved to her bedroom, Haru briefly stopping to get his suitcase along the way. Kiyoko could tell he was exhausted when he simply shed his jacket and t-shirt, leaving him in only sweatpants as he went to brush his teeth. She didn't mind the small pile of clothes on her floor, knowing he was normally just as clean as she was. By the time Haru finished in the adjoined bathroom, the dark haired woman had just finished pulling on a pair of baggy flannel pajama bottoms and one of his old Iwatobi shirts. She slipped into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and hair before returning to her room. Haru sat on her bed, the blue and white chevron comforter already pulled down.

"I got you something," the swimmer mentioned, catching her off guard as she slid into bed beside him.

"You didn't have to do that," she said. "I know you must have been busy and tired."

He shrugged off her comment and leaned over the side of the bed, reaching into his unzipped suitcase. After rummaging for a moment, he extracted a small paper bag and handed it to her. Kiyoko accepted it, looking at him curiously. When she was sure she wasn't going to get any further explanation, she opened up the bag and peered inside. She extracted a small navy blue ball that had a flat bottom. Holding it in her palm, she looked to Haru for clarification.

He remained silent, but took the orb from her. Leaning over her carefully, he placed the ball on her nightstand and pressed a small button on the side. Instantly, her ceiling and walls were spotted with stars and comets as the little orb lit up and spun slowly. The images revolved slowly, dancing before her eyes.

"Oh, wow," she breathed, unable to tear her eyes away." She missed the small smile that formed on his lips. "Thank you so much, Haru."

Kiyoko finally tore her eyes away and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his lips.

He smiled and said simply, " **It reminded me of you**."

Slowly, they drifted off to sleep, limbs entangled as they lay beneath their own personal solar system.


	2. Let Me Drive for a While

Haru couldn't help but chuckle as Kiyoko danced in her seat and sang along with the radio. He knew it was partially to entertain him, and he appreciated that. They were driving home for a few days before he had to get back to school for more practice. He felt bad that it was such a short trip, and had offered to buy her a train ticket home, but she had refused, saying she'd rather travel with him.

"So your parents still aren't home?" she asked, still shimmying slightly despite the restraint of her seatbelt.

Haru shook his head in the negative. "No. I don't know why they keep that house, since they've lived elsewhere for business for so long."

"Well, it works out for you, right? You'll always have somewhere to go when you come home."

"You will too."

Kiyoko smiled softly and said, "Thanks, Haru. Oh, my parents want us to have dinner with them tomorrow night."

"Alright," he agreed. Her parents had always been kind to him. They had taken to him even before he and Kiyoko had started dating, and were sort of like a second set of parents. Every time he visited, he left weighed down with food and other college essentials, whether he needed them or not. They had even come to some of his races. He thought things may be different after he began dating their daughter, but they were just as kind and caring as before. "Mackerel?"

"Of course," she laughed lightly.

"I like the way your mom makes it."

"I know. She's just happy someone else finally appreciates pairing it with pineapple."

"Makoto, Nagisa and Rei always thought it was bizarre that I would eat them together."

Kiyoko just shook her head with another smile. "I'll get the recipe from her, if that'll make you happy."

"It would."

They fell back into a comfortable silence broken only by the music on the radio and Kiyoko drumming along on her knees. He lifted a hand and stifled a yawn behind it. Immediately, he could sense her gaze on him. Haru didn't glance her way, but her concern was evident even without making eye contact. She had asked him about half a dozen times that morning if he felt alright, and he hadn't lied when he said he felt fine. However, he was completely spent from classes and intensive practices at the pool.

"Haru, do you have any more breaks coming up? Even just a couple days?"

"Not really. Just a day here and there."

She sighed, looking out her window for a moment. Slipping the hair elastic off her wrist, she swept her dark locks up into a ponytail, lost in thought. Haru left her to her thoughts, simply looking ahead at the winding, empty road ahead. It was a long time that they sat in silence, until his cellphone buzzed in the cup holder.

"Can you check that?"

Kiyoko picked up the phone and entered his password. "Makoto wants us to let him know when we get back to school and says we should try to plan a dinner and movie night before classes start again."

"Okay."

"You have a new email," she informed.

"Can you check that too?"

A few moments later, Kiyoko said, "It's from your coach. He lengthened the practices on Thursday and Friday."

"How long now?"

"Four hours."

Haru sighed, already feeling the ache in his muscles. "Thanks."

Grey eyes traced his face again, and Kiyoko reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. Her thumb moved slowly back and forth in a comforting motion. "You're still happy this is the path you chose, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I knew it wouldn't be easy, and it definitely isn't."

He glanced at her and noted the frown on her lips. She muttered, "We could have stayed at school so this would be an actual break."

"It's fine," he assured. She still looked troubled, and he continued, "Kiyoko, I like visiting home, too. Even if my parents aren't there, yours are. And it's just nice being in my old house and visiting the beach. Anyway, I think I'm going to stop at the gas station up ahead."

She hummed in response and turned to look out the window again. This time, though, he noticed her hands were still on her lap. It only took another five minutes to reach the gas station. He pulled up to a pump and got out of the car, relieved to be able to stretch a little bit. After swiping his credit card and making his fuel selection, he turned to put nozzle into place. Haru was surprised to see Kiyoko had gotten out and was leaning against his side of the car.

"Did you want to pick anything up or use the bathroom?"

"I will. You?"

"Yeah, I think so. We still have a way to go."

There was a silence in which he was positive Kiyoko wanted to say something, but didn't. He finished pumping the gas, replaced the gas cap, and pocketed the keys before they crossed over to the convenience store. After each had stopped in the bathroom, they walked a slow circuit around the store, eyes scanning the shelves. In truth, neither was in a rush to get back in the car. They had stopped in front of a cooler full of juice, Kiyoko biting her lip as she tried to make a decision.

Haru looked around as he waited for her to decide, blue eyes stopping on a man only a few feet down the aisle from them. He looked quite a bit older than them and his clothes were worn and rumpled. Normally, the swimmer wouldn't think twice about a stranger regardless of appearance, but this particular stranger was looking Kiyoko up and down. They made eye contact for a moment, and the stranger looked away, picking up a random pack of cookies from the shelf. Haru turned back to the cooler, though he continued to watch the stranger out of the corner of his eye.

Oblivious, Kiyoko asked, "Would you drink pineapple juice if I got it?"

"Yeah," he answered absently.

The stranger had turned to look at her again, and Haru did not like the smirk forming on the other man's face. He reached out on impulse, lacing his fingers with Kiyoko's. She looked at him, surprised at the sudden movement. Haru made eye contact with the stranger again, and the other guy looked peeved. _She isn't yours_ , he thought triumphantly. With a small smirk, he led her away without an explanation.

Kiyoko chuckled and said, "You're so weird."

He just shrugged and pulled her over to the coffee machines. He fixed a cup with one hand, refusing to let go of hers lest the stranger walk by them again. It felt like it would be conceding to him in some way. Meanwhile, Kiyoko watched on with concern as he pushed a lid onto his cup. Haru hardly ever drank coffee.

They each paid for their drinks and headed back out to the car. As they got closer, Kiyoko surprised him by saying, " **Let me drive for a while.** "

"You don't like driving," he replied.

"I like seeing you this tired even less. Just relax and maybe sleep a little, okay?"

"Kiyoko…"

"Haru," she said in a hard tone. "Seriously, it's fine. It's not that I can't drive. There's no reason you should do the whole trip."

"I don't mind. I just got coffee, so-"

"I'll wink at that creepy guy who keeps watching me if you continue to refuse my offer."

His sapphire eyes narrowed at her. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

A tense silence filled the space between them for a moment before he gave in with a sigh. Kiyoko smiled and swung herself into the driver's seat as Haru reluctantly seated himself in the passenger's side. Once they were turning back onto the road, the dark haired woman said cheekily, "Good thing you have your possessive moments."

Haru didn't say anything for a moment, shifting to gaze out the window. "Thanks."

He could see her grinning reflection in the window, and his own lips turned up in a soft smile. Deciding to take full advantage of her offer, he settled back and let his eyes drift closed, letting the sound of the car's engine and Kiyoko's soft humming lull him to sleep.

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A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read, followed and favorited so far! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter.


	3. Here, Let Me Fix It

Kiyoko groaned in frustration, running her brush roughly through her hair. When it was sufficiently detangled, she began sectioning it again. Within a few minutes, it was back to being a tangled, frizzy mess. With a sigh, she picked up her hairbrush once again, mentally preparing herself to start over once more. Her arms were beginning to tire from half an hour of failed attempts to do something with her stubborn hair.

"Maybe I should try curling it or something," she muttered, surveying her reflection critically.

Her phone vibrated, and she was surprised to see it was Haru.

Haruka: Are you home?

Yes, why?

Haruka: I got out of practice early. I'll be over soon.

Sounds good. Should I order dinner?

Haruka: Sure.

Kiyoko smiled. He had long since stopped giving her his order as she had long since memorized it. Thankfully he was incredibly predictable and seldom branched out with his food. After making a quick phone call to their usual take out place, she turned once again to her hair. Surely, she would get it this time.

 _Oh, god, how did this even happen?!_ Kiyoko wondered, trying to detangle the biggest knot she had ever managed to create in her hair. Her eyes watered from her efforts, and very little progress was being made. From within her vanity she grabbed a bottle of spray in detangler. Ten minutes and a significant amount of spray later, and she was cleaning out her hairbrush yet again, though the knot was still firmly in place.

There was a soft knock on the bedroom doorframe drawing her attention. Haru stood there, clearly fresh from swim practice. His dark locks were still damp, clinging slightly to his forehead. He still wore his track pants and swim team jacket, too.

"What're you doing?"

She frowned at him and turned back to her reflection, twirling her brush between her fingers. "I was trying to do something fun with my hair. I was unsuccessful."

"Why?"

Kiyoko sighed and said, "I don't know, I was bored, and I was browsing the internet, and there were all these supposedly easy tutorials…"

"And now you're worse off than when you started."

"Shut up," she huffed, getting up to move into her bathroom.

She heard Haru let out a sigh of his own and approach her. "Sit back down."

"Why?"

"Just do it or I'll make you answer the door when the delivery person gets here."

The thought of someone else seeing her hair in its current state was enough for her to return to her vanity. Steel grey eyes watched as he leaned in, surveying the state of her knotted locks. He hummed thoughtfully then said, " **Here, let me fix it.** "

"Do you know what you're doing?" she asked, watching warily as he picked up her hair brush again.

"Yes."

"Very reassuring, Haru."

He rolled his eyes and gently separated the knotted tendrils from the rest. As he began slowly working at it with the brush, the swimmer explained, "Makoto has a younger sister. When she used to go swimming, her hair would get really knotted. When he had to take care of his brother, too, I sometimes ended up helping her brush through it all. I got pretty good at it."

Kiyoko lifted a brow skeptically, but didn't say anything else. Admittedly, he was causing her almost no pain and the brush had yet to cease moving. They sat in silence for a few minutes before he took a step back, nodded, and gestured for her to look at the mirror. To her surprise, her hair was completely straight and smoothed down.

"You weren't kidding," she breathed, threading her fingers through the sleek sheet of black appreciatively.

"Give me a couple more minutes."

"What're you-?"

"How did your exam go the other day?"

Kiyoko humored him by answering his question in some detail, letting him brush off her curiosity. She watched his reflection, but couldn't tell what he was doing as he stood behind her. There was a lot of shifting and weaving of her hair, but it didn't feel like a simple Dutch braid. In only a few moments, Haru leaned around her, grabbing a hand mirror off the vanity. He positioned it so that the reflection of the back of her head could be seen in the mirror in front of her. A beautiful, intricate looking braid met her eyes.

"It's a fishtail braid," he supplied.

It was fitting that Haru somehow knew how to do an aquatic themed hairstyle. "It looks amazing!"

"Ran began insisting that not only did I have to brush out her hair, but I had to make it pretty, too."

Kiyoko laughed and stood from her seat. She placed a kiss on his cheek before gingerly touching her newly braided hair. "You need to teach me how to do this."

"It looked like your hair styling skills were… bordering on hopeless."

Her eyes narrowed and she asked, "Oh?"

"I've never seen someone do that to their own hair before," he shrugged.

After a pause, she said, "Teach me or the next time you have to go to a dinner with important swim people I won't pick out what you should wear."

"I can pick out my own clothes…" he mumbled, though Kiyoko could hear the note of uncertainty in his voice.

"And I won't go with you," she added, knowing that was the stipulation that would seal the deal.

Haru sighed and nodded his agreement. Kiyoko grinned and did a brief victory dance which was cut off by the ringing of the doorbell. "Come on, let's go eat and then I'll teach you."

"Perfect!"

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A/N: Thank you for reading and for those of you who have followed and favorited; I really appreciate it!


	4. No, No It's My Treat

Water roared in his ears, parted as he cut a path through it. There was a slight surge in the lane beside him, signaling a competitor was pulling out all the stops for the last spurt. But he still had gas in the tank and pushed himself even harder. His hand slapped against the concrete wall and his head broke the surface of the water. Automatically his mouth opened to take in the air that his lungs craved. His chest rose and fell as he tried to even out his breathing, but bright blue eyes moved up, locking on the results board.

 _First place and a personal best._ He nearly smiled.

Haru heaved himself up out of the pool, and was met with his Coach and some of his teammates. He received a mixture of congratulations and constructive criticisms. The swimmer nodded, listening, but he was certainly distracted. Kiyoko was somewhere in the crowd, and he was really looking forward to meeting up with her. She wasn't often able to come to his races because either they were too far away or her own work schedule didn't mesh with race times.

He rushed through his shower and got redressed in a hurry. As he was packing up his duffle bag to head out, he heard his cellphone begin to ring. Seeing it was Kiyoko, he answered it in a rush.

"Hey."

"Hey! I was hoping you'd answer! I'm waiting for you right outside the entrance."

"I'll be out in a minute."

"You don't have to hurry!"

He replied, "I'm not hurrying."

One of his teammates snickered and he ignored him, listening as Kiyoko informed him, "You're coming back to my place."

"Why?"

"Makoto and I thought we'd celebrate your win! I have wine and I stopped at the market this morning to get stuff to make dinner."

"You didn't have to do that."

"We wanted to! See you when you finish, okay?"

"Alright."

He hung up and was immediately swarmed by three of his teammates who he had grown close to. With a devilish grin, Kaito asked, "Who are you in a rush to go see, Haru?"

"Your girlfriend?" Mitsuo pressed.

Not liking the attention, he simply nodded. Takumi inquired, "Are we finally going to meet her?"

Haru sighed. "You aren't going to let me walk out of here alone, are you?"

"No way," Mistuo grinned widely.

"Come on," he conceded begrudgingly.

The four swimmers left the locker room, heading toward the front of the building. They reached the doors in a few moments, and Haru nearly forgot his friends were there when he saw Kiyoko leaning against a pillar near the entrance. She looked up from her phone upon hearing the doors open, and a huge grin split her face. He barely had time to notice that she wore a lavender high low dress before her arms were around him.

"Congratulations! You were amazing, Haruka!" she said with a smile. She placed a peck on his lips, unable to completely contain her excitement.

The other three swimmers made themselves known by a chorus of "Aw's" which prompted the couple to separate. Kiyoko clearly hadn't noticed them at first, her cheeks flushing to a rosy hue. However, she greeted them with a smile and said, "You all did really well."

"Thanks," Kaito replied. He and the other two introduced themselves before he said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet the saint who can put up with Haru."

"Trust me, he's the saint for putting up with me," she replied with a laugh.

Haru relaxed slightly, seeing that they were all getting along amicably. He hadn't really been worried, because Kiyoko could get along with anyone. Kiyoko turned to look up at him, her expression telling him she had just remembered something. "Makoto is probably waiting for us at my place."

"Oh, kinky," Takumi teased, elbowing Haru lightly.

"We're having dinner," the blue eyed male replied dryly.

Ever polite, Kiyoko offered, "You'd be welcome to come, if you'd like. Makoto went back before me to start some of the cooking."

The three exchanged glances before Matsuo spoke for them, "We'd never decline an opportunity to observe Haru with a girl."

With another good natured laugh, she said, "Alright, let's head to the train station then."

She turned and began making her way toward the nearest station. Haru made to follow, but Kaito grabbed his arm, halting him. "Man, she is hot! How did you even manage that?"

"Yeah, how is a cute girl like her attracted to the stoic swimmer?" Takumi laughed.

"Haru?" He turned at Kiyoko's voice. She had stopped, noticing they hadn't followed her right away.

Turning to his friends he ordered, "Be nice. No teasing her."

They grinned mischievously but agreed. He turned and caught up to Kiyoko, switching his duffle bag to the other shoulder so he could lace their fingers together. The other three swimmers had soon caught up, and began asking Kiyoko about what she was studying, and about how her semester was going. She answered and asked questions of them, too, and the group held the conversation throughout the entire train ride easily. It wasn't long before they reached Kiyoko's apartment and met up with Makoto.

More introductions were made, and as Makoto got better acquainted with the other swimmers, Kiyoko told him, "I figured with more people, we may as well just order in. I texted Makoto while we were waiting for the train, so he didn't get too involved in cooking dinner."

Haru nodded, but said, "You didn't need to invite them. It's just more effort for you."

She gave him a soft smile and said, "Haru, they're your friends."

"So?"

"So it didn't feel right excluding them."

"They would have been fine."

She rolled her steel eyes and said, "You're the one making this difficult."

"I'm just saying," he muttered. Kiyoko just chuckled lightly and place her lips on his in a chaste kiss.

Another chorus of cooing signaled that his friends hadn't been exaggerating when they said they were keen to observe their relationship. Haru turned to them and gave them a look of warning. The group of young adults moved into the living room and Kiyoko began pouring and passing out the wine. They talked for quite a while, about school, swimming, movies, and so on, until they decided it was high time to order something to eat. With their decisions made and the order placed, conversation resumed and continued to flow.

When the doorbell rang, Haru moved to go answer the door, when Kiyoko placed a gently hand on his shoulder. To answer his unasked question, she said, " **No, no; it's my treat.** "

"But-"

"Don't worry about it," she assured, and quickly moved to get the door.

The rest of the night passed enjoyably, and although Haru was glad that his new friends got along well with two of the most important people in his life, he was glad when the group disbanded and it was just him and Kiyoko. They cleaned up, making idle chatter about the successful night, before retiring to her bedroom. Each took turns getting ready until they were tucked into her bed.

Blue eyes watched Kiyoko lean over to her nightstand and turn on her little constellation projector. Once she had settled beside him again, he reached across the sheet for her hand. When he found it, he pulled it closer, idly tracing shapes on her palm with his thumb.

"I could have paid for dinner. They're my friends."

"Is that really bothering you?" she laughed. "Haru, it's okay. I invited them. It honestly wasn't a problem."

He was silent for a moment, before deciding to let it go. "Thanks. I had a good night."

"I'm glad," she said, sidling in closer to him. "I really enjoy watching you swim. It makes me happy when I'm able to go to one of your meets."

"I like it when you come, too." He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her beneath his chin. "It helps, knowing there's someone there for me, not for my time or records."

"I wish I could go to more."

He smiled softly and assured, "You do a lot for me already."

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A/N: Thank you for continuing to read, favorite and follow! I have this story almost completely written (one chapter left!) so I think I will try to post three times a week.


	5. Have a Good Day at Work

Kiyoko: Sorry, I'm seriously exhausted tonight. We were short staffed and super busy, and I have to work a double tomorrow, so I think I'm just going to head to bed. I'm sorry!

Haru frowned at her text and responded.

Don't apologize. Get some sleep.

Kiyoko: Thanks. Talk to you tomorrow during my break?

Yeah, I'll make sure to have my phone on me.

Kiyoko: Okay, thanks!

He set his phone down and shifted in his seat on his couch. Idly, he began flipping through the channels, though he wasn't really paying attention to what was on. In the last few weeks, Kiyoko had been working a lot of overtime as a waitress because several servers had been fired for up-charging customers. It was hard work being on her feet for so many hours a day, carrying heavy trays to and from the kitchen, especially on top of the fact that the semester was winding down and finals were on the horizon. When she wasn't at work or in class, she was at a group project meeting, studying or writing papers. The swimmer would be lying if he said his life was stress free, but his coach understood that finals were a serious time of the academic year and practices had been slightly reduced. He was still busy, but his schedule was a lot more manageable than Kiyoko's.

Haru was pretty sure she wasn't getting much sleep, so he was happy she was taking the opportunity to turn in early that evening. He was a bit disappointed, though, since he had barely seen her of late. But in two more weeks, the semester would be over and hopefully her hours at the restaurant would return to normal.

"Haru, you aren't doing anything with Kiyoko tonight?"

The swimmer turned to Makoto, with whom he shared the apartment. He shook his head. "She's tired and has to work all day tomorrow."

"That's too bad," Makoto frowned. "She's been so busy lately it seems. I've hardly seen her since after your last meet and that was a little over a month ago."

"I haven't seen much of her either," Haru sighed.

Makoto took up a seat on the other end of the couch. "I'm sorry, Haru. You guys have been together for a long time; it must be strange not to see her very much. How long has it been now?"

"Two and a half years."

"Wow, it's kind of crazy to think it's been so long. Although, I figured that once you found a girlfriend it would be long lasting."

Haru nodded and said, "It would have been a waste of time if I couldn't see it lasting with someone."

"How serious are you guys?" asked Makoto. When he only received a shrug, he pressed, "How do you not know? That seems sort of important with graduation coming up in the spring."

Haru raised a brow at his best friend and said, "I know that."

"Well… what about the 'L' word?"

There was a stretch of silence before Haru awkwardly admitted, "She said it once. "

"Just once?"

"Well, I didn't say it back."

Makoto frowned and asked, "Why not?"

"I just… couldn't."

"Would it have been a lie?"

Haru was silent again for a while. He heaved a sigh and said, "At the time I wasn't sure if it would be or not."

"Well, do you know if it would be a lie now?"

"Yeah, I spent a lot of time consulting the water, but I figured it out."

"And?"

"And it's enough that I know."

The brunet was thoughtful for a moment before giving his friend a soft smile. "I'm glad you figured it out. Want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure," Haru replied, glad to be off the heavy topic. He let Makoto make their movie selection, and sat back to enjoy the mind-numbing activity. However, partway through the film, he was hit with a sudden idea.

When the movie ended, Haru stood and stretched. Turning to Makoto, he announced, "I'm going to go to bed. I'm getting up early tomorrow morning."

"Okay. Night," Makoto grinned.

* * *

"Haru, what are you doing here?"

The addressed male looked up from the pan of eggs he was tending to. Kiyoko had just entered the kitchen, having clearly just woken up. She was still rubbing the sleep from her storm cloud eyes, and stood in just one of his university swim team t-shirts. "Making breakfast."

"I see that," she replied through a yawn. "But why?"

"Because you've had a rough month."

"You really didn't have to go through the trouble. Stuff like this happens."

He didn't reply, instead grabbing a bowl out of her cabinet and dishing out some of his scrambled eggs and seared vegetables. "Do you want some mackerel too?"

"It's all yours," she said with a chuckle. He passed her the bowl and chopsticks which she accepted, sitting down on one of her island barstools. "Thank you, Haru. I really appreciate it."

"It wasn't a problem," he said simply, dishing out some eggs, vegetables and plenty of mackerel for himself. He sat beside her and before he could pick up his chopsticks, a gentle hand coaxed him to turn toward Kiyoko. She placed a warm kiss on his lips before pulling away and turning back to her breakfast. They ate in silence for several moments before Haru asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Still tired, but I have tomorrow off, so I just have to get through today."

"We could watch movies tomorrow," he suggested. Then, reluctantly he added, "Or you can sleep in and hang or whatever. I know you've been busy lately."

"If you don't mind me falling asleep on you while we watch movies, I'd love to," the dark haired woman smiled.

He shook his head and said, "I don't mind."

"I'm glad. I've missed spending time with you."

Heat rose to his cheeks, but Kiyoko was kind enough not to mention it. She merely smiled and finished her breakfast. He finished his as well, and collected her bowl. He waved off her protests that she could clean up and said, "It's fine. I know you have to get ready. Go ahead."

"Thank you," she replied earnestly. She stood and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace and kissed her temple before moving away toward the sink.

Haru had just finished drying and putting away the dishes when Kiyoko returned, dressed in black pants and a white button up shirt. Her hair was pulled back in the fishtail braid she had mastered, and she wore a little bit of light makeup. Even tired and heading off to work, she was pretty.

"Thank you again for doing all of this, Haru," Kiyoko said, grabbing her purse off of the counter. She stuck her phone inside and rummaged for a moment, making sure she had everything she needed. "Can I still call you on my break?"

"Yeah," he nodded, happy she had made the suggestion.

"Okay, great!" she replied cheerfully.

Haru grabbed his coat and shrugged into it, Kiyoko doing the same. Each slipped on their shoes and exited her apartment. They stopped briefly so she could lock the door behind her, then headed for the elevator. The restaurant was located partway between their apartments, so they both began walking in that direction. Breakfast hadn't made up for weeks of minimal contact, and Haru found himself reaching for her hand. They continued to walk on in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

All too soon, they had reached the restaurant. Kiyoko sighed not quite prepared for the incredibly long day ahead of her. Haru squeezed her hand reassuringly, grabbing her attention. She looked up at him and said, "You can come over whenever tomorrow. Just let yourself in and drag me out of bed so I can fall asleep on the couch, okay?"

He chucked and nodded. "Alright, I will. **Have a good day at work.** "

She smiled and said, "Thanks, Haru."

Kiyoko tilted her head up and he acquiesced, leaning down for a brief kiss. They pulled apart, and he noticed a couple other waitresses had made their way down the sidewalk and were giggling rather conspicuously.

Following his gaze, Kiyoko rolled her eyes. "They all think you're the hottest thing to walk this earth. It's so weird."

"Do you disagree with them?" he teased, though his face and voice remained neutral.

After another eye roll, she said, "I meant it's weird when other girls ogle you and ask me about how the sex is."

"Ah." He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I'll talk to you on your break."

She laughed at his awkwardness, but nodded. Kiyoko kissed his cheek once more before turning and being immediately pounced upon by the other servers. Haru just shook his head, silently wishing his girlfriend luck as he continued on his way home.

* * *

A/N: Thanks as always for reading, following and favoriting! If you have a few moments, please don't be shy and leave a quick review! I'd like to challenge myself to reply to any review I receive while also updating three times a week.


	6. I'll Walk You Home

"Cheers to finals being done! Only one more semester, bitches!"

Kiyoko cheerfully clinked her glass with her best friend's and said, "Home stretch, Aiko!"

They threw back their shots, coughing slightly at the burn. Her pixie haired friend asked, "Are Haru, Makoto and Rin going to be here soon?"

"They should be; I told them what time we were meeting here."

Aiko nodded, then was distracted by something across the room. "Don't look now, but I think we're about to get hit on."

"We've only been here for ten minutes!" Kiyoko sighed, exasperated.

"Right? Apparently two girls alone in a bar are like gazelles at the watering hole."

They laughed, but by then two guys around their age had approached their table. One had artfully shaggy blond hair and brown eyes while the other had a crop of curly brown locks and blue eyes. The brunet flashed the pair of women a charming smile and said, "Hey, how're you ladies tonight?"

"Fine, thanks," Aiko said politely, tapping the drinks menu on the tabletop idly.

"I'm Kenta," the blond introduced himself. "This is Shin. What are your names?"

"I'm Aiko, and this is Kiyoko."

Shin leaned against the side of their booth and asked, "Are you guys students at the university?"

"Yeah, you?" Kiyoko humored them.

Kenta nodded and said, "Yeah, we're juniors. Are you ladies freshmen?"

Kiyoko frowned and corrected, "We're seniors."

Shin jumped in, saying, "Wow, you just look so young and beautiful!"

"Because twenty-two year old women aren't usually young and beautiful?" asked Aiko.

"No, it's not that," Kenta shook his head. "You two are just especially like… wow."

"Can we get us a round of shots?" Shin asked.

Kiyoko replied, "That'd be a bit inappropriate; I have a boyfriend."

"It's just a drink," Kenta pressed with another charming grin.

"I really wouldn't feel comfortable with that. I have a boyfriend," Kiyoko repeated more firmly.

Aiko chimed in, "Yeah, it was nice talking to you guys, but our friends will be here soon, and we just want to unwind after finals with them."

Shin leaned forward, wrapping an arm around Aiko and saying, "A drink while you wait for them then."

"Come on, just one drink," Kenta urged.

Steel grey eyes narrowed at the blond. "I have already declined your offer twice. Please take the hint."

With a glare, the male replied, "You don't gotta be a bitch about it."

"I've been rather polite throughout this interaction," Kiyoko said evenly.

"Then how about you continue that polite streak and join me for a quick hook up in the bathroom. You know, in return for my time you've wasted."

Kiyoko suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a visibly irritated Haru. Kenta turned to glare at him, and Haru warned, "Watch how you speak to her."

"Let me guess; you're the boyfriend. I'm so scared," Kenta drawled.

Makoto had gone to Aiko's side and was trying to get Shin to back off. Rin stood near Haru, watching to see which of his friends was going to need backup. Haru merely replied, "I am, but regardless, the way you're speaking to a woman is disgusting."

"Listen, man," Rin interjected, "Just back off. We're all adults here."

Shin, apparently the less confrontational of the pair, turned to Kenta and said, "Screw them, bro. There's a lot of much prettier girls in here tonight."

Kenta scoffed, but turned away. Haru turned to Kiyoko and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just frustrated," she sighed. The black haired woman slid over in the half moon booth, Aiko following suit so that Makoto could slip in beside her as Haru and Rin took seats on Kiyoko's other side.

"Well, let's forget about that whole mess," Aiko suggested. She made eye contact with a server who came over and took their orders. The group did a few rounds of shots before the boys switched to beer. Aiko and Kiyoko simply moved on to cocktails. They talked, laughed and enjoyed themselves, the incident forgotten in lieu of enjoying their night out.

"Kiyoko, come on!" Aiko whined.

The dark haired woman shook her head in the negative, the movement threatening her balance. She giggled and asked, "Why?"

"Because we're young and hot and drinking and I love this song!"

Kiyoko sighed but nodded in agreement. Makoto stood, letting the women slide out of the booth and head toward the dance floor. Once they were within the throng of people, the women began to move to the beat of the music. It reminded Kiyoko of her first years of college when she went to more parties. She smiled and ruffled a hand through her hair, throwing it over her shoulder.

Aiko laughed and said, "Your signature move!"

"Shut up," Kiyoko laughed. "It is not!"

"You always play with your hair when you're trying to look hot," her friend giggled. Kiyoko rolled her eyes, but kept dancing regardless. Aiko moved closer and closer, until she was grinding and shimmying against the dark haired woman.

"And this is your signature move," Kiyoko pointed out, but swayed her hips regardless. "Trying to impress Makoto?"

"Maybe," Aiko winked. "If Rin noticed, I wouldn't be upset. Plus, maybe seeing you like this will do something for Haru, too."

"You're so weird."

They danced for a few more songs, easily brushing off anyone that wanted to join them on the dance floor, before returning to their table. Kiyoko resumed her position next to Haru, pleasantly surprised that there was another drink at her seat. Had she ordered that before going out to dance? She sipped it happily, slowly shifting to lean against her boyfriend.

Haru looked down and nearly chuckled. Kiyoko was such a happy, drowsy drunk. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and finished off his beer. Makoto and Aiko appeared to be hitting it off, so he contented himself with speaking to Rin. He was surprised when, after a while, Aiko and Makoto bid their farewells and headed off, most likely to Aiko's apartment.

"I never would've pegged Makoto as the type who'd go home with someone like that," Rin chuckled.

"They've had chemistry before now and flirt every time they see each other," Kiyoko explained sleepily.

"Really?" Haru asked.

"Yeah," she nodded.

He wanted to ask her more questions, but instead said, "I think we should head out, too. It's pretty late."

"Yeah, I have to sleep this off then go pick up Gou at her school so we can head home for a week," Rin agreed, standing up.

Haru followed suit, keeping an arm around Kiyoko as they paid their tabs and headed out of the bar. They bid Rin farewell and the blue eyed male was about to begin walking Kiyoko to her apartment when she said, "Haru, **I'll walk you home**."

He chuckled and said, "But Kiyoko-"

"Makoto isn't here, so you have nobody to walk back with. You've been drinking, and I don't like the idea of you going home without someone."

Though he was admittedly buzzed, Haru couldn't hold back a smile at her words. She clearly didn't have a handle on her own condition, but still cared about his. "Alright. Do you want to stay the night? It's after one in the morning."

"Yeah," Kiyoko nodded, giggling lightly as they began to walk again. "I am pretty tired. And you're really cute."

Haru let out another chuckle and said, "You too."

* * *

A/N: Thank you again for reading, following and favoriting! Please, if you have a few minutes, consider leaving a quick review! The next chapter should be up either Friday or Saturday. It will depend on how preparations for my college graduation party are going. :)


	7. Take My Seat

Haru took another sip of his drink before placing it back on the bar top. He was supposed to meet Kiyoko at their favorite club half an hour ago, but she had texted him that she had gotten off work late and wouldn't be on time. It wasn't that he minded that he looked sort of like a loner – what did it matter what other people thought of him? – but he felt bad about how much Kiyoko was still working. Their winter break was half over and he hadn't seen her as much as he had hoped. Certainly more than the last month of the semester, but her hours at the restaurant were still pretty crazy.

His thoughts shifted to a conversation he had with Makoto a few weeks prior. His brunet best friend had asked him a lot about his relationship with Kiyoko – about how serious they were, about what they were going to do after graduation, and about the "L" word. He'd like to think he and Kiyoko were rather serious; he had become closer to her than anyone else in more ways than one. Building any sort of relationship with someone else was a real challenge for him, so to have been building one with her for so long…

As for their future, he hadn't thought much about it, because he had just assumed that they would be together after graduation and that's all that mattered. But he supposed Makoto had a point; were they going to stay in the same city? Move elsewhere? Would they both be staying in Japan? Would they move in together? What if he got picked up by a swim team that was based somewhere else; would she want to go with him? It was a lot to think about, and it was a conversation they unfortunately needed to have. But for the moment, they were together, and he was happy. Surely, they'd make things work. If not, he may as well just give up on dating, because Kiyoko was of an incredibly rare breed – a balance of being able to understand and put up with his quirky personality and having a personality of her own which felt right. Finding someone else who understood him so well, who was happy to coexist rather than cling, and who supported his love of swimming rather than his talent for it was probably nearly impossible.

The "L" word was another concerning topic Makoto had unfortunately brought to his attention. He supposed it would probably be considered odd that in two and a half years of dating, he had never uttered the word. The one time Kiyoko had said it to him, it had really caught him off guard. They were drifting off to sleep, her idly stroking his hair, when she had just whispered it out of nowhere. He didn't know what to say – did he love her too? What would that even feel like? He had panicked and hadn't said anything at all. In the days that followed, he knew his silence had hurt Kiyoko, but she never brought it up. For weeks, he pondered his feelings for her. It took a long time, but in the end, he decided he loved her too. If he had come to any other conclusion, he probably would have ended their relationship to avoid hurting her feelings later down the road.

Even with that realization, Haru hadn't told her. He supposed it was just really nerve-wracking. He had never dated anyone before Kiyoko, let alone confessed something so serious and personal to another person. Plus, she had never said it again after the disastrous first instance. Part of him thought she was probably waiting for him to say it to avoid her saying it too soon again, but another part of him wondered if his silence in response to her declaration had changed how she felt about him. Then a large part of him thought that she was truly apt at reading him, so she must know how much he cared for her.

Regardless, he supposed sometime soon, he and Kiyoko would have to talk about exactly how serious they were and about what would happen after graduation. He had a feeling that working at a restaurant was not in her plans. Over the month and a half of her working crazy hours, he had noticed her slowly but surely beginning to hate the job she had previously enjoyed. It was never going to be her career, but he had a feeling that her recent experiences had solidified her desire to move on to a career related to her studies as soon as possible.

His phone vibrated then, signaling a message from his girlfriend.

Kiyoko: I'm so sorry! I'm only a couple train stops away!

Don't worry about it.

Kiyoko: Is it really busy?

Yeah, it's pretty busy.

Kiyoko: I'm really sorry for making you wait so long!

You really don't need to apologize. Want me to order you a Hurricane?

Kiyoko: A rum and coke please? You're the best!

The swimmer frowned. She hadn't had a good day, according to her drink choice. Good moods meant she did shots and fruity drinks, and bad moods meant simpler, strong drinks. And it was really crowded in the club; there wasn't an empty seat in sight, and the dance floor was packed. He had a feeling this wasn't going to make her day any better.

Her rum and coke had only just arrived in front of him when Haru felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned on the bar stool and accepted the kiss Kiyoko offered in greeting. Cerulean eyes wandered over her newly arrived form. She wore burgundy skinny jeans and nude stilettos with a white long sleeved crop top. The top had a deep neckline which revealed a fair amount of cleavage. He tilted his head up and stole another kiss, knowing she would understand it to mean he thought she looked amazing.

Kiyoko smiled and reached around him, picking up her drink and taking several deep sips. With the glass half drained, she set it down and asked, "No Makoto tonight?"

"No, I think he and Aiko are seeing a movie."

"I knew they would click!" the dark haired woman grinned.

Haru shrugged and said, "You're much more observant than I am."

"Well, I'd like to think I'm good friends with both of them, so I was bound to notice something was up," she pointed out.

"What shift did you end up working today?"

"I went in for 11 this morning and texted you right when I got out, I think around 10?"

Haru frowned and said, "We could have just hung out; you didn't have to come out for another late night."

"I'm sick of just going home and going to bed like an old woman," she frowned. Again, she picked up her drink and finished it off. The bar tender moved to make her another, and she asked, "Want to dance a little bit once I'm done this one?"

"Sure," he agreed absently. He watched her accept her drink and said, " **Take my seat.** "

"That's fine," she waved him off. "I got here late; I can stand for a little while."

Haru frowned and argued, "You were on your feet for eleven hours already today. You have to be sore, especially in those shoes."

"I'm really okay," she replied.

"You didn't deny that you're sore."

"Well, no, but-"

Haru stood from the stool and nudged her toward it. She looked like she might argue some more, but she merely sighed and accepted his offered seat. As she sipped at her second drink, she chatted with him idly about her day, and he supplied responses when necessary. His hand came to rest at the curve of her neck and shoulder, his thumb working gentle circles into the nape of her neck. He could feel her slowly relaxing, for which he was glad.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading, following, favoriting and for the review I received! We are now one third of the way through this series. The next chapter should come either tomorrow or Monday. If you have a minute, please consider leaving a review!


	8. I Dreamt About You Last Night

Sun streamed through the window of Haru's bedroom, rousing a dark haired woman from her sleep. She could feel a warmth which signaled that her boyfriend was still beside her. Grey eyes opened slowly, cautious of the morning sun. He was still asleep facing her, his expression relaxed and peaceful. Kiyoko loved spending the night with Haru, regardless of where they slept or what they did.

The previous night, however, was admittedly her favorite kind of night. She couldn't help the devilish smirk which crossed her face, recalling the events of the night before. Makoto had gone out with Aiko again, leaving them alone in the apartment. They had started a movie, though neither had any real intentions of watching it. What began as a typical movie night make out session on the couch had eventually escalated and moved to his bed.

Although it had taken him a painful stretch of time to be ready to be truly intimate with her, Haru was by far the best of the three lovers Kiyoko had ever been with. Once they got through the first several awkward times and he had become more comfortable with her, he was a rather giving and attentive partner. With some guys, giving felt like an obligation, but with Haru, she genuinely wanted to please him because she knew that besides being close to her, his aim was make her feel good. It was such a healthy, mutually beneficial dynamic. Beyond that, he was a quick learner and swimming had definitely given him a unique combination of strength and endurance which translated very well into that aspect of their relationship.

Kiyoko carefully shifted her legs, still entangled with his. Her muscles and her hips were pleasantly sore for once, rather than painful and throbbing from work. She much preferred this kind of ache. Steel eyes roamed over his features again, a small smile forming on her face as she reflected on how lucky she was. Admittedly, Haru had his quirks and his often simple ways of communicating were harder to understand, but he was easily the most caring person she had ever met. He took the time to understand her and was so easy to get along with. They almost never fought, even about trivial things. She was grateful to have him.

Haru began to stir, and a moment later, he was blinking sleepily at her. With a small groan, he asked, "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long," she replied. "I'm not ready to get up yet."

He agreed with a low hum, burying his face against her collarbone. She lifted a hand and began idly threading her fingers through his raven locks. Quietly, he asked, "How was last night?"

"Amazing as per usual," she answered.

"Yeah?"

"I would've told you if it wasn't good as it was happening," she chuckled.

"Don't tell your waitress friends," he muttered.

Kiyoko laughed and said, "Weirdo, why would I tell them? You don't tell Makoto, Rin, Nagisa or Rei, right?"

"No," he answered, "despite the fact that they're fascinated by the idea that a girl wants to have sex with me even after having a conversation with me."

"They've clearly never seen you naked," she teased. "Don't you guys share a locker room at swim meets? Unless you all have the self-restraint not to sneak a peek at all the other attractive people."

"Are you turning into one of those girls that only go to the school's meets to check out the guys?"

"No. Why go all the way to a meet when I can enjoy all that and more right here? Those girls don't get to see what a cute ass you have at the pool."

Haru rolled his eyes. "You're strange."

"Not really. I'd hope you find me aesthetically pleasing too."

With a slightly annoyed look up at her, he said, "Obviously I do."

"What in particular?"

The swimmer sighed and said, "Your eyes."

"Way to go the stereotypical route."

"It's true." Kiyoko didn't say anything for several moments, so Haru reluctantly admitted, "You know you have nice boobs; I don't know why you want me to say it."

"I know that?"

"You don't own a push-up bra and I don't think you've ever gone to a party or bar without at least some cleavage showing."

Kiyoko sighed, but couldn't deny the points he made. Changing the topic, she asked, "How was last night for you?"

"Why do you keep asking questions you know the answer to?"

The dark haired woman sighed and said, "Just wondering. I haven't been in peak condition lately."

"You don't need to worry about it. On your worst day, you would still be really good."

"What if I just laid there and took it because I was just really not in the mood on my worst day?"

"I wouldn't want to do it if you didn't want to."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You're too perfect sometimes."

"Far from," he scoffed, rolling onto his back.

Kiyoko shifted so she was straddling his hips and asked excitedly, "Guess what?"

"What?"

" **I dreamt about you last night.** " Haru flushed, a rare sight. Kiyoko smiled and said, "You won a 400 meter and to congratulate you, your coach got you a puppy! Which, obviously, became our dog."

"Coach would probably just tell me I could have done better," Haru chuckled.

"Well, it wasn't my most realistic dream, outside of you winning a 400 meter race."

Haru frowned and said, "That doesn't seem particularly realistic."

"Don't get down on yourself," Kiyoko scolded. "You're an amazing swimmer; it'll come to you."

"We'll see."

"Don't think of it like a long distance feat you need to pull through for your coach; think about it as even more time you get to spend in the pool."

She could practically see the wheels turning behind his cerulean eyes. Over the years, she had learned to appeal to his strange affinity for water and it appeared she hadn't lost her touch when he nodded. "You're right. I'm too caught up in meeting the goal rather than the water."

"Right! Now go win us that puppy!" Kiyoko laughed.

Haru rested his hands on her hips, enjoying the feel of her bare skin beneath his fingers. His eyes wandered over her form, contentedly perched atop him. He marveled at how comfortable she was with him. There she was holding a conversation with him without even a stitch of fabric on her. He wasn't so out of touch that he didn't know that people often felt uneasy conversing with him. He knew he wasn't especially approachable, and that most people didn't understand his particular communication skills. He had a handful of really good friends that were on his level, but for someone to be as at ease around him as Kiyoko was sometimes boggled his mind.

"Do you dream about me often?" he asked curiously.

"I do more often when I don't see you as much as I'd like to."

Haru was silent for a stretch of time, and Kiyoko could tell he was choosing his words carefully. When he finally spoke up, he asked, "Do you ever think about what we'll do at the end of the semester and we've graduated?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But it'll all depend on the job offers I get and the recruitments you're offered, won't it?"

"Yes, but what are the options you've come up with?"

"Well, there are really only three, unless I'm completely wrong about what you're thinking. The first would be that I get offered an amazing job that isn't near wherever you're recruited and we have to be long distance for some time. Second, I'm not offered anything stellar right off the bat and I go with you wherever you end up. Or third, I get offered a great job near where you decide to go."

"What if I don't get recruited? Will you be okay if I went with you?"

Kiyoko lifted a brow skeptically and said, "You're going to get recruited. Stop being a pessimistic shit about it. Scouts worship the ground you walk on."

"What did you mean, there were no more options unless you didn't know what I was thinking? I can't think of any other options besides those."

"Well good, because the only other direction would be… apart."

Haru blinked and said, "I don't want that."

"Me neither," she smiled. "I'd dream of nothing but you."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! I enjoyed writing this chapter. It was fun letting more of Kiyoko's unabashed, random side come through and it was also fun to write Haru in a more intimate situation. I think his directness and awkwardness would both be present when talking about such topics. Anyway, if you have a moment, please consider leaving a review.


	9. I Saved a Piece for You

Kiyoko: Hey, I'm right near your apartment. Mind if I come over?

Sure, see you soon?

Kiyoko: Less than five minutes!

Haru wondered what Kiyoko was up to. He thought she was working until close that night, but her schedule was all over the place which made it hard for him to keep track of. He looked up to Makoto who leaned against the opposite side of the island from him. The brunet reached for the confections in the box between them, but Haru quickly snatched the box away.

"Kiyoko was in the neighborhood, so she's coming over."

Makoto smiled knowingly and said, "That's good. I wanted to ask her something, and now I don't have to text her."

"Is Rin still coming over too?"

"Yeah, he should be here pretty soon."

There was a knock at their door and a moment later, Kiyoko walked into the kitchen. Haru could tell right away that she was upset about something. She still wore her black pants and white button up shirt, indicating she had come straight from work.

"Hey guys," she greeted, flashing Makoto a smile before leaning down to place a kiss on Haru's cheek. "Do you mind if I steal some of your clothes?"

"No, go ahead. I think you left a shirt last time you were here. It's washed and in my second drawer."

"You're seriously the best," she replied earnestly, kissing his cheek once more before heading off toward his bedroom.

Makoto was quiet a moment before asking, "Does she know Rin is coming over and we were planning on drinking? She looks tired."

"I mentioned it to her earlier," Haru shrugged. "I'll go remind her."

He stood and walked down the hall to his bedroom. Cautiously, he nudged the door open and entered, quickly closing it behind him. Kiyoko looked up but didn't pause as she pulled on a pair of his sweatpants. They remained silent as she unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged out of it.

"I can't wait until we finally live together. I'll never have to wear a bra except for in public," she mentioned as she pulled on her previously forgotten orange tank top.

"I look forward to it, too, then," he joked absently. "You remember Rin is coming over tonight, right?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't mean to intrude on your guys' night, but a few friends to drink with would be awesome right now," she said, extracting a bottle of vodka from her purse on the foot of his bed.

Haru frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Grey eyes began to shine with tears and she lied, "Nothing, just a rough day."

"I could tell something had upset you as soon as you walked in the kitchen," he muttered.

After a brief pause, she admitted, "I quit my job."

"Why is that a bad thing? They were running you into the ground."

Her lip trembled and she said, "But I was making a lot of money. I've been able to save a lot, but I mean… My situation isn't like yours. You were drafted for swimming and the university supplements your income. I'm not saying you don't work hard, because you really, really do, I just mean that I need to always have a job outside school to pay my bills. I feel like I made a stupid rash decision and now I'm-"

Haru cut her off, saying, "Kiyoko, I get how it's different. But now you can find a new job."

"But I had something that was a sure thing, and-"

"And it was making you miserable. Now you can find something better, and in four months when we graduate, you can do something you really love." The dark haired woman didn't look convinced, so the swimmer continued, "That job was exhausting you, it was rough on you physically and you weren't happy. You'll find another job, and until then, using up some of your savings will be worth not having to run around for ten hours a day."

"Thanks, Haruka," she sniffled, wrapping him up in a hug.

He returned the gesture and said, "Don't worry so much. Anyways, what happened that made you quit all of a sudden?"

Kiyoko sighed and leaned against his chest. "There's this older guy who comes in every Friday night to hit on the servers. The past few weeks, he's been asking to be seated in my section specifically. At first, I didn't mind because he tips well, but last week and this week he told me he would tip extra if I'd unbutton a few buttons on my shirt or flirt with him or something. Last week, I told my manager and she said she was too busy to do anything about it. This week, she told me to just deal with it because it's bad for business to drive off loyal customers. I've been working almost fifty hours a week, often with minimal breaks, dealing constantly with rude customers and other overworked, irritated staff. I figured the least they could do was throw out the creeps that harass me and the other servers. I was clearly wrong, though, and I just snapped."

Haru didn't like what he was hearing at all. Of course, he knew that sexual harassment was a common problem service workers faced, but he certainly didn't like thinking about Kiyoko having to deal with it. "You did the right thing. You don't need to put up with people like him."

"I know," she sighed. "Anyways, thanks again for the talk. It was just a really hard day and I was going sort of crazy."

"You've had more than enough hard days to warrant it," he shrugged.

"Are you two love birds ever going to come drink with us?" they heard Rin shout from the kitchen.

Kiyoko laughed and said, "Well, this vodka isn't going to drink itself."

Haru nodded, glad to see her mood was much lighter. The pair returned to the kitchen and after greetings were exchanged, the four began conversing, taking shots, and mixing drinks. They continued for a while, playing drinking games and then moving to the living room to laze on the couches and sip at their cups. Rin splayed out on the couch, Makoto on the love seat, and Haru sat in the armchair with Kiyoko sitting in his lap.

"Hey, Kiyoko, I wanted to ask you something," Makoto said after a while. "What are Aiko's plans for after graduation?"

The black haired woman blinked a few times in confusion before answering, "She wants to go to grad school, though she hasn't decided which one yet. Why don't you ask her?"

"Well, I don't want her to think I'm asking so I can cling to her or that I intend to follow her wherever she ends up, I mean…"

"She won't think that. You guys are going to have to talk about it at some point, right?"

"Have you too finally had that discussion?" Rin asked, lifting a brow.

Kiyoko nodded. Haru was grateful she was really taking the reins on this one. "Yeah, we did. We have our options sorted out, and we'll just have to see which one makes the most sense depending on what happens."

"Do you have any other hot, single friends?" the red head inquired, switching topics.

"Just one," she answered. Unable to fully suppress a chuckle, she continued, "Because last I checked, Sousuke is single and pretty attractive."

Makoto burst into laughter, and Haru chuckled along as well at his friend's expense. Kiyoko dissolved into giggles and Rin glared at her. "Very funny," he snapped. "You know very well he's not my type."

"You didn't ask a very specific question," she pointed out with a shrug.

Rin just pouted and downed the rest of his drink. The night continued on with even more alcohol, laughter and chatting. Finally, Rin had fallen asleep, and Makoto was looking a bit sick.

"I am really regretting all those sata andagi," the brunet lamented, holding his midsection in discomfort.

"You guys had andagi?" Kiyoko asked, envy audible in her voice.

Makoto nodded, but then got up and quickly left the room. Haru adjusted his arms around Kiyoko's waist and said, "Don't worry, **I saved a piece for you.** "

"You did?" she asked, surprised.

"They're one of your favorite foods," Haru nodded.

Kiyoko smiled widely and placed a kiss on his lips. Pulling away, she said, "Let's go share it."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for the review (which I will reply to below because it was lovely and I can't reply directly), favoriting, following and reading! If you have a moment, please consider leaving a review!

Gabby: Thank you so much for your review! It really brightened my day. It bothers me a tiny bit that my Haru fics don't have many reviews, if any, but I'll continue posting on this one regardless. I started writing it right before my final year of college began and this follows Haru and Kiyoko through their senior year as well. It took me the whole academic year to write it, so I was able to put a lot of myself into the story. Anyways, I'm glad you think this has been fitting for Haru thus far; I've tried really hard through the whole story to be true to his character! Thank you again for your review and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come!


	10. It's Okay I Couldn't Sleep Anyway

Kiyoko awoke suddenly, startled by the sound of her phone ringing and vibrating on her nightstand. Her heart raced; she had turned on the "Do Not Disturb" setting, so the only people who could reach her were her parents or Haru. Hoping that nothing was wrong with anyone, she scrambled to pick up the call.

"Hello?!"

"Hey, it's me," came Haru's quiet reply.

Kiyoko frowned, hearing something off in his voice. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," he confirmed. "I just…"

The black haired woman waited patiently as her heart rate returned to normal. She was glad nothing serious had happened, but her worries weren't quelled. A glance at her clock told her it was 3:27am; something had to really be bothering Haru to call at such a time. She adjusted her comforter around her, not about to press him to speak until he had gathered his thoughts. Pushing him had never been the answer in any situation, communication being the best example.

"Sorry," he finally said. "I didn't really plan what I wanted to say."

"That's alright," she assured gently.

She heard him draw a breath before he admitted, "I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

Haru was quiet another moment before he explained, "I'm not prepared for graduation. How will I choose which offer to take? Will I even get any offers? What will we do?"

"You have an amazing coach and swim team behind you that will help you decide, not to mention several friends who love and care about you who also happen to know a thing or two about swim teams. And of course, you'll get offers. People have been watching you since high school; they aren't going to drop interest in you now. You've improved so much, and you were amazing to begin with; one look at your performance record will be enough to attract the attention of plenty of teams. And we've talked about what you and I will do. We'll make it work."

Kiyoko could tell right away that her words hadn't comforted him in the least. He was silent again, and she could hear rustling in the background like he was burrowing deeper into his bed. "Haru, go sit in the bath. Take your phone with you. I'll stay on the line and we can keep talking once you're in, okay?"

"Okay," he muttered, melancholy evident in his voice.

The young woman remained true to her word, waiting several minutes for her boyfriend to move to his bathroom, draw a bath and get settled in it. Finally, he brought the phone back to his ear and said, "Okay."

"Haru, we're going to be fine after graduation. The only thing that could make me leave now is if you didn't want to be with me anymore. Anything short of that won't deter me. I'm in too deep."

"It's not that I don't want to be with you," he muttered, sounding frustrated. "That's just about the last thing I want."

Without practice reading between the lines when Haru spoke, Kiyoko would have missed the giveaway. "Then what is the last thing you want?"

Silence stretched between them again. She could hear the soft sounds of the water in the bath being displaced as he moved. Kiyoko could picture her boyfriend sinking lower and lower into the water and swirling his fingertips across the surface idly.

"I don't want to ruin anything for you."

It was Kiyoko's turn to take a moment to reply. His concern wasn't what she had been expecting. Finally, she said, "I don't understand."

"I don't want my life to take away anything from yours. If we end up in different places, we'd have to be long distance. You deserve better than that. But I don't want you to have to relocate for me, or to choose a job wherever I go. You're so smart, you've done so well in school; you should go wherever you want to go, no strings attached."

"No strings attached?" Kiyoko blinked, her chest tightening painfully. "Are you… breaking up with me?"

"I don't know," he said, just barely above a whisper.

"Oh," Kiyoko managed, but fell silent once more.

The longest pause yet dragged on until finally Haru asked, "Kiyoko, do you understand what I mean?"

"No," she answered honestly. She could sense his surprise, though he didn't voice it. "If it were the other way around, wouldn't you do what you could to stay with me?"

"But it isn't the other way around," he pointed out.

"That doesn't matter," she said, imploring him to understand. "Wouldn't you ever consider me in a life decision? Wouldn't you make the choice that keeps us together? Is that not a top priority?"

"Your happiness is my top priority."

Kiyoko could feel tears fast threatening to escape. She took a moment to assure she could keep them at bay and could keep her voice gentle and even before speaking. "If that's the truth, then don't end this."

"Kiyoko…"

"If you'd only be breaking up with me because you think that it will make me happier in the future, then don't do it because you're wrong."

"But-"

"But nothing. Do you want to break up because you don't want to be with me anymore? If there is any part of you that doesn't want me, say the word and I will accept it. But if you are only doing it because you believe it will be better for me, then don't. You don't get to decide what the right way to live my life is."

"You aren't being objective or pragmatic, Kiyoko."

"I am, though. A life without you will be of a lesser quality. Maybe I'll get a different job, or stay in this city, or who knows what else, but there's no replacing being with you with things like that. There's no comparison."

She waited for several long minutes for him to reply, but he never did. Finally, she said, "Can you just answer my question? Do you want to end things between us?"

The moments that followed felt like hours to Kiyoko. But when his answer came, it was a simple, "No."

"Are you still in the bath?"

"Yes, and I still think you're making a mistake."

Kiyoko frowned. "Well, I know I'm not. You mean the world to me. I can't imagine living a happy, fulfilling life apart."

She could hear him standing up, the bathwater swishing as it was displaced. Her chest felt like a weight rested on it as she listened to him quickly towel off and retreat to his room. Once he had slid back into bed, he spoke again. "Kiyoko, I understand what you're saying, because that's the truth in my life. I know I'm strange. People find it hard to be around me, they think I'm awkward and they don't understand me. Finding someone like you who understands and accepts me so fully and readily will never happen for me again. Life without you wouldn't be the same.

"But you aren't me. You're intelligent and easy to get along with. You understand people, you're fun to be around. You're quirky and simple. You're giving and beautiful. You could find someone you wouldn't have to make decisions around."

"You're contradicting yourself. You say you're concerned about the decisions I will make, but you're not accepting the decision I've already made. I have long since decided that the path I want to take is with you, so long as you want to walk it with me. You say you want me to be happy, but I've already said I won't be happy without you. So do you really care about my decisions and my happiness?"

He drew a shaky breath and was quiet before saying, "You're right. I just… I'm worried. What if you regret the choices I force you to make?"

"You're not forcing me to choose anything."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay," he sighed, and Kiyoko could tell he was finally feeling relieved. "I'm sorry I called you in the middle of the night. I was panicking."

" **It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway** ," she lied. Earnestly, she added, "You can call me whenever you need to, okay? I'm here for you always."

Kiyoko knew he picked up on her fib, but he ignored it. With a smile in his voice, he whispered. "Thank you."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading, following and favoriting! Please consider leaving a review if you have a moment!


	11. I'm Sorry for Your Loss

"You should salvage the pot."

"Why bother?" Kiyoko snapped.

"Because it's a nice pot."

"That will never again hold a plant."

Haru rolled his eyes. "You had that orchid for almost four years. That's pretty impressive, considering how hard it is to care for them."

"Well, life is hard but you can't just fuck it up."

The swimmer frowned, continuing to watch the dark haired woman angrily scooping soil from the ceramic pot into the trash. Finished, she put the pot in the sink and filled it with water, apparently taking his advice despite her sharp words. It wasn't difficult to see that whatever was going on with her was about more than just a dead plant.

"Life is a little different than a plant," he pointed out with a frown.

"Yeah, plants are easier."

She threw her watering can and pruning shears beneath her sink, roughly shut the cabinet door, and began vigorously washing her hands.

"Kiyoko, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"This can't just be about your orchid."

The shorter woman merely glanced at him before heading back toward her bedroom. "Are you sleeping over?"

He followed her in answer. Kiyoko had already moved into her bathroom, so he went into the second drawer of her dresser, knowing half of it was a collection of his clothes. Extracting a pair of sweatpants, he turned and began to change, still wondering what had Kiyoko so upset. They soon traded places, and even after brushing his teeth he still had no idea what might be bothering her.

When he exited the bathroom, he found his girlfriend already in bed, the covers pulled up. He slipped in beside her, winding his arms around her waist. She tensed slightly, clearly aware that he hadn't forgotten about her evasive answers from earlier.

"Haru, can we please just go to sleep?"

"It's not good to go to sleep upset."

"I'm fine, okay?"

"I don't believe you," he replied honestly. "Because even if what happened in the kitchen hadn't happened, you never want to go straight to sleep on the weekend."

"I'm less horny tonight than usual; sue me."

Haru rolled his eyes and said, "You know that's not what I meant. We always, at minimum, talk a little bit."

"I know, Haru, but I just want to go to sleep."

"Tell me what's wrong and I'll keep cuddling you," he bargained.

There was a moment where he was sure Kiyoko was considering his offer, but then she said, "One of us always ends up cuddling the other at some point in the night."

"I'll tell you something I wouldn't otherwise if you tell me what's wrong."

"Your secret could be something stupid, though."

"I promise it won't be."

Again, there was a pause between them while she thought over his offer. Finally, she turned in his arms so they were facing each other and nodded. "You have a deal."

"Okay." He pulled her in closer and asked, "So what's bothering you?"

"My orchid died," she mumbled.

Haru bit back a chuckle and said, "Yeah, I caught that. Is that really what's so upsetting?"

"Yes and no. I don't care about the plant itself, but my parents got me that stupid thing when I graduated from high school. But you know my parents, nothing really comes free. That orchid came with a challenge; keep it alive through college, and they would be confident I would someday really become successful. It would prove I had the drive.

"A few days ago, I started noticing that the orchid was looking a little sick. And that night my mom called and told me that apparently months ago she finally figured out my password for my online bank account and wanted to know why I had stopped depositing paychecks."

Haru nodded, not needing her to elaborate any further to see why she was so upset. He liked her parents very much most of the time. They were genuinely kind people and had taken him in over the years. But he hated that amount of pressure they placed on Kiyoko. Her parents both came from wealthy business families and wanted to ensure that Kiyoko became another family success story. They exercised a lot of control over her life, keeping tabs on her finances, her grades, and so on, often forgetting to check on her happiness. It wasn't that they didn't love her; they were just far too hard on her.

"And now that stupid orchid is dead, I have no job, and my parents are going to think I'm a failure."

" **I'm sorry for your loss** ," he said gently, nuzzling her nose with his. "I get that that orchid meant a lot to you. But you aren't a failure."

"Well, at least I can look cute next to you as you become a success. The pretty young thing on the arm of one of the best up-and-coming swimmers."

He frowned at her jest, knowing it was only said to cover up that she was still upset. "Kiyoko, you're not a failure. You're graduating magna cum laude as a double major, you have practical work experience from waitressing and volunteering, plus you have a personality that makes everyone like you. You're going to get job offers after graduation, and you're going to be a success. And not because you're parents are always on your back, but because you've worked so hard and you're smart and skilled."

"Thanks, Haru," she muttered.

"I know you still don't really feel better," he sighed.

He could hear the smile in her voice as she replied, "I feel like things will be okay when you're with me, though."

Heat rose to his cheeks; she was able to drop these eloquent, heartfelt sentiments on him that touched him in a way he had never imagined words could. His chest was tight, but in a good way. "Things will be okay, but I don't know what I'll have to do with it."

"Hush," she scolded. "Anyways, it's your turn to tell me something."

"Well, I have something I should tell you, because I'm sure you'll find out eventually, but you have to promise not to get mad." Seeing her suspicious look, he quickly said, "It's really not too bad."

"Fine. I won't get mad. Unless you deserve it."

Haru chuckled once before sobering. After a pregnant pause, he admitted, "The other night, when I got drunk with Makoto and Rin, I may have let it slip that you have a really cute orgasm face."

Kiyoko flushed brilliantly and rather than looking annoyed at his revelation, she quirked an eyebrow. "I do?"

Haru nodded. "You bite your lip and like…" He grasped for words, but couldn't find ones that were accurate enough.

Kiyoko seemed to sense this and giggled. "Thanks, Haru. I don't really care that you told them; it's not like you told them anything more personal, just that -" She stopped abruptly, seeing guilt flash across his face for a brief moment. "What else did you tell them?"

"Nothing much, really, just flattery."

"What else did you tell them?" she repeated sharply.

Haru looked away nervously and said, "Well, just that you're also quite talented, particularly when it comes to blow-"

"HARU!"

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely review I received and for everyone who read, followed and favorited. I really appreciate it! It was fun to imagine what sort of things Haru would let slip after one too many. He's a rather frank, honest character afterall. Please consider leaving a review if you have a moment; I'd love to continue hearing feedback.


	12. Sorry I'm Late

"Hey, anything wrong, Haru?"

The swimmer turned at the sound of his teammate's voice. "No."

"We figured you'd be out of here already since you skipped showering after practice," said Takumi.

Kaito added, "You forget your metro pass or something?"

"No, I'm supposed to meet Kiyoko."

"You early or something?" inquired Mitsuo.

Haru shook his head. "She was supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

His three friends frowned and Kaito asked, "Is that normal for her?"

"No, not really."

"Do you know if she's okay?" Takumi asked.

Again, the blue eyed swimmer shook his head in the negative. "I texted her but she hasn't responded."

"We'll wait with you for a while longer and if she still doesn't show up, one of us will go with you to check on her and the other two will stay here in case she shows up. We all have our phones, so we'll all still be in contact," Mitsuo decided.

"You guys would do that?"Haru asked, surprised.

"Well sure!" Kaito grinned. "You're our friend and Kiyoko is such a great girl."

Takumi nodded. "We want to make sure she's alright."

"Thanks," Haru said, touched that his friends cared so much.

The four young men sat on the steps leading up to the training facility. Mitsuo asked, "Hey, so you've never told us a lot about you and Kiyoko. Like, how did you meet? How long have you been dating? What're you guys gonna do after graduation?"

"Why're you so curious?" Haru mumbled.

"Well, it's clear you're really into her, but yet we don't know much about her," Kaito explained.

Takumi nodded and continued, "And from when we met her, we know she's more than just a cute girl; she's pretty special. But we're still curious about some things."

Haru was silent for a moment before he sighed. "We met because we were both part of the same orientation group freshman year. We started dating summer before sophomore year, so we've been together a little over two and a half years. We're going to do whatever is necessary after graduation to stay together."

"Aw, way to answer that so vaguely," Kaito complained. "Come on, tell us some interesting stuff. You must have told your other friends more than that."

Haru shrugged. "Like what?"

"Like who asked out who?"

The freestyle swimmer flushed slightly. "She asked me."

"Did you guys hit it off right away or was it weird coming out of the friend zone?" asked Mitsuo.

"Sort of both. We did hit it off, but I wasn't really sure what to do a lot of the time and it made things sort of awkward. And I'm not big on physical contact, so that was different."

"Really?" Takumi asked, sounding surprised. "Didn't you wanna cop a feel? I mean…"

Haru glared at his teammate and said, "Don't talk about her like that."

"Well, I wasn't trying to check her out, they're just hard to ignore."

Still annoyed, Haru asked, "Any other questions?"

"Sex life?"

"That's personal."

"So you have one," Matsuo smirked triumphantly.

Haru flushed and looked away, frustration mounting. Takumi asked, "Fine, what's one of your favorite things about her?"

He was silent for a long moment, mulling over how to fulfill the request. Finally, he arrived at his answer. "Last year, when regionals were coming up, I was so busy with school and practice, I hardly saw her. When I did, I almost always fell asleep. One night, we were watching a movie, and I passed out on her. I woke up a couple hours later, and she was sitting there, awake and letting me lie on her. The movie was done and her phone was out of reach, so she was stuck there. I felt awful and started to apologize; I hadn't been paying her much attention and another night had been a bust, but then she just smiled and waved it off. She said it was enough just to be together. That's cliché I guess, but I really appreciate how much she appreciates simplicity."

"You're right; that is cliché. Don't you have anything juicier than that?" Takumi asked, sounding bored.

Haru sighed and admitted, "One of my favorite things she does is after sex –"

"Oooh!" his friends cheered, happy to have gotten a more exciting story.

"Get your head out of the gutter," Haru rolled his eyes. "After sex, she has this habit of sitting up in bed and talking for a few minutes. It's not what she talks about, but I love that she is so comfortable with me that she can just sit there and hold a conversation like that. Not many people are comfortable around me, but she's at ease even at her most vulnerable."

"That's actually really cute," Takumi grinned.

"She's pretty special," Haru stated simply.

The sound of running footsteps met their ears and the four males looked up. Haru stood, taking long strides to meet Kiyoko. She stopped before him, breathing somewhat heavily.

" **Sorry I'm late** ," she managed. "The train station nearest my apartment was closed so I had to go to the one past your apartment, and then when I was on the train, it had to stop because of some sort of malfunction, and of course there was no service, so I couldn't even tell you I was going to be late and-"

Haru wrapped her in a hug, silencing her. "It's okay, Kiyoko. I'm just glad you got here alright."

"I feel badly that you were waiting," she frowned.

"My friends and I were hanging out and talking; it's not a big deal."

She noticed the other three swimmers for the first time then. They waved at her, each sporting a huge grin. "Thank you for staying with Haru on my account."

"Our pleasure," said Mitsuo. "We're going to get going now, though. Have a good night, you two."

The other swimmers left the couple alone, and Haru hugged Kiyoko closer, enjoying just standing there with her. Kiyoko looked up at him and asked, "Haru, is everything okay? You seem particularly affectionate today."

"I'm fine," he answered softly. "Sometimes I just remember how important you are to me."

Kiyoko blushed and was vaguely glad that she had been late.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading, favoriting and following! If you have a moment, please consider leaving a review; feedback is always appreciated.


	13. Take My Jacket It's Cold Outside

"Holy shit, Haru," came the breathy voice the swimmer had come to adore.

He chuckled lightly and curled his arms around her waist, pulling her into his side. "Good, then?"

"The hell kinda question is that?" she laughed. "That was amazing."

"I'm glad," he said earnestly.

Kiyoko propped herself upon an elbow, leaning her torso atop his. He flushed lightly at the chest to chest contact, but as always marveled at how comfortable she always was with him. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and out of the way before asking, "Oh? Why's that?"

"I can't just want you to enjoy yourself?"

"You always want me to enjoy myself. That was especially above and beyond, and it's only the afternoon!"

Haru leaned forward and planted a kiss on her nose before admitting, "I felt bad about calling the other night and freaking you out like that. I just… don't want you to doubt how invested I am in… us."

"Let's just put that behind us, okay?" she said gently. "As long as you don't think about breaking up with me again because for some reason you have it in your head that you aren't right for me, then we're fine. Otherwise, you can always call me whenever you need to about anything. I'm always gonna be here for you."

"I know," he whispered back. Flushing lightly, he added, "Thank you."

"It's my genuine pleasure," she said with a smile. With a playful wink, she asked, "What're you gonna tell your friends about this particular sexual encounter?"

Haru frowned and muttered, "I am sorry about telling them things about our sex life. I have no idea why Drunk Me was so talkative that night."

Kiyoko laughed lightly and said, "I'm teasing you. It's okay; Makoto and Rin are nice guys and they won't tease me or anything. Next time, you could brag about how talented you are with your tongue."

For what felt like the millionth time that afternoon, Haru felt heat rush to his cheeks. "You taught me; it's not like I had much to do with it."

The dark haired woman shifted, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her torso more fully atop his. "A lot of guys don't want to take direction; like it's emasculating to be told by a woman how best to work with her body. I'm really happy that you've never been like that and have always taken my direction to heart."

Still embarrassed, Haru mumbled, "Why wouldn't I do what you tell me you like? No guy is born just knowing what women like…"

"Haru, I love that you're not like a lot of guys."

Kiyoko smiled warmly and placed her lips on his. Haru wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the warmth she exuded. The moment was ruined, however, when Kiyoko's phone began vibrating on his nightstand. She pulled away, glancing at the object before ignoring it and relocking their lips. The phone was quiet for a moment before it began to vibrate again. She ignored it once more, but when a third call came through, she pulled away with an annoyed groan. Sitting up in bed, she grabbed the phone and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" Haru watched her eyes widen in surprise. "Yeah, sorry, Aiko, I was tied up. Really? Oh, gosh, I'm really sorry! She did what?!"

Haru gently hugged his girlfriend from behind, sensing the stress at whatever she had just been told. He listened as she continued, "Why didn't she call me? Okay. Yeah, I see. Where should I meet you guys? Okay, I can be there in half an hour. Well I'm not at home so it's going to me a little longer. Alright. See you soon."

Kiyoko hung up and let out a sigh. Haru pressed a kiss to her cheek but stayed quiet. She deflated in his embrace and asked, "Speaking of being glad you're not like other guys… I have to go meet Aiko and our friend Mara. A guy she hooked up with last night said he'd pull out and then he didn't and she wants to get the morning after pill. But she's been too nervous all day and called Aiko to ask her to go with her to the drug store, but Aiko feels really awkward about things like that so she called me…" She trailed off into another sigh. "I'm really sorry, Haru."

He gave her a small but reassuring smile and said, "It's okay. Your friends need you. Are you taking the train?"

"Yes, but her house is obnoxiously removed from the line. It's a bit of a walk. Why?"

She watched his eyes rove over to the bedroom window and followed his gaze. "Well shit."

Outside, snow was falling steadily. It wasn't a full blown storm, but just enough to be annoying. Kiyoko used all of her willpower to heave herself out of bed and begin to put on the clothes that had been tossed off in their earlier haste. Haru followed suit, pulling his underwear and sweat pants back on. She quickly brushed through her hair before they moved out into the living room. Haru eyed the pea coat she had worn earlier as she pulled on her knee high grey boots. She stood straight and reached for her coat, freezing at Haru's voice.

" **Take my jacket; it's cold outside**."

"Oh, Haru, that's okay. I have mine."

"It's not particularly waterproof or thick. Please take my coat. I'm not going anywhere tonight anyways."

Kiyoko gave him a warm smile and nodded. She took his thick navy colored coat from its hook by the door and slipped it on. She grabbed her purse and turned to her boyfriend. "Thanks, Haru. You make me really happy, and I don't think I tell you often enough."

She gave him a warm kiss before slipping out the door, leaving a rather pleased Haru behind.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading, favoriting and following! Please leave a review if you have a moment!This was an interesting chapter to write. I enjoy writing flirty Kiyoko/awkward Haru, and Kiyoko's dilemma with her friend is one I'm sure I'm not the only one with experience with. Fun times, right? Anyways, please review, follow and favorite if you haven't already!


	14. I Made Your Favorite

Spring had finally come and with it came even more pressure on Haru. Scouts seemed to outnumber fans at swim meets, watching every stroke, recording every time, analyzing form and endurance as well as tracking the number of events each swimmer competed in. It was pushing Haru past his limits, physically and emotionally. He practically lived at the gym and the pool. And, as usual, his hectic schedule meant he didn't see nearly as much of Kiyoko as he wanted. He only saw her occasionally on campus and some nights when she surprised him with dinner at the pool. Luckily, his coach had taken a liking to her, as most people did, and allowed her to sit in on their dinner break and then the rest of practice so that they could then take the train home together.

The dark haired swimmer broke through the surface of the water, immediately gulping down much needed oxygen. He stood and looked up at his coach, hoping he had made some improvement. His coach nodded and said, "You shaved off another three seconds, Nanase. Take off another two and you can break for dinner. Hopefully you can do it quickly enough that your dinner won't be cold."

Haru raised a brow in question, and his coach responded with a nod towards the bleachers. There, a few rows back, was Kiyoko. She was typing away on her laptop, a couple of books open on the bench beside her. On her other side was a tote bag he assumed held their dinners she had packed. He smiled and hauled himself out of the pool and climbed back onto the starting block, even more determined to improve his time on his next run.

"Hey, you're Nanase's girlfriend, right?"

Kiyoko looked up from her laptop and saw one of the team's breaststroke swimmers standing in front of her, a towel slung around his shoulders. "Yes, I'm Kiyoko. A pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Jun. It's nice to meet you, too. You've already met Mitsuo, Takumi and Kaito, right?"

"Yes, I have. They're really nice people," she said with a smile.

Jun nodded and said, "I figured I'd say hello since you've been coming to practice so much lately. And Coach isn't going to let Nanase off just yet, so…"

"Yes, I got that impression," she said with a light chuckle. "I've taken to doing homework while I wait for him."

"It's really awesome how you take care of Nanase like this. I know a few guys on the team, myself included, wish our girlfriends were so caring."

Kiyoko bit back the bite of irritation and forced a small smile. "I assure you, it's not me taking care of him. He's an adult and can feed himself. It's much more that I'm selfish and want to spend time with him despite his busy schedule. Seeing Haru for even a short time has a way of making my day better, and I don't like giving that up."

Jun laughed and asked, "Really? Nothing brightens your day quite like seeing Nanase?"

"Not many things, no. It's hard to find things comparable to spending time with people who are important to you, especially when they just really get you."

The swimmer sat down on the bench in front of her and said, "I can see why Mitsuo and the others say you're good for Nanase."

"Glad to know I'm a topic of conversation here," she joked.

Jun flashed another smile and defended, "Not on the daily! And always good things."

"They better be good things," she teased easily. Then, expression brightening, she looked over Jun's shoulder and said, "Hey, Haru!"

The freestyler gave her a soft smile and then turned to Jun. "Hey, Tahito."

"Another nice run, Nanase," Jun replied. "I'll leave you to your dinner break. Again, nice meeting you, Kiyoko."

"You too," Kiyoko replied politely. The other male walked away to rejoin some of the other swimmers as Haru took his abandoned seat, perching to face Kiyoko. "How has your day been?"

"Not bad," Haru said through a weary sigh. "It's just going to be a late night. I have to finish a paper tonight and I think we'll have another two hours here."

Kiyoko frowned and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, Haru."

"It's okay. I'm glad I at least get to see you for a little while."

The dark haired woman nodded her agreement, closing the lid on her laptop. "Me too. Do you think things will settle down a little after your meet next weekend?"

"They may for a week or so, then pick back up for the next meet."

He could tell right away that Kiyoko wasn't entirely pleased with his answer, but she smiled nonetheless. "We'll watch movies and stuff then, have a relaxing week. I'm sure Makoto and Rin would like to see you, too."

"You actually just reminded me that not for this meet but for the next one, Nagisa and Rei are coming to visit. The meet is on a Saturday so they're coming Friday afternoon and going back to their university Monday morning."

"Oh, that'll be great!" she replied excitedly. "I'd love to see them again."

"They're excited to see you, too," Haru chuckled. "When we were Skyping the other night, Nagisa couldn't shut up about how he 'can't wait to see my cute girlfriend again.'"

Kiyoko winked at him and said, "I am pretty cute."

"And humble," Haru teased.

"Cute people don't need to be humble."

Haru chuckled at her jest, feeling relaxed for the first time that day. "Of course not."

"Anyways, I brought dinner again," Kiyoko said, changing the subject. She pulled a couple of bento boxes from her bag and handed him one. " **I made your favorite** ; my mom's mackerel and pineapple recipe."

Haru would probably never get used to the way Kiyoko could catch him off guard with her thoughtfulness. He was touched that she cared enough for him to spend time cooking something for him that she didn't even like. Sure enough, when she opened her own bento box, she had cooked herself an omelet and rice.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Kiyoko waved him off with a soft smiled and assured, "It was no trouble. You're worth it."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! I think the last chapter wasn't particularly a reader favorite, which I sort of expected. I like how this one came out much better. For anyone who is curious, the inspiration for this story came from a random post I saw in my Facebook newsfeed. It was a challenge to think of a scenario that fit both the phrases included in the list and Haru's character. Anyways, please consider reviewing; I'd love to know what you like, what you don't like, etc. It would be very much appreciated! On another note, we have reached the two-thirds mark. Seven more chapters! I'll update again in a few days!


	15. Can I Have This Dance?

"I can't believe this is the last time we'll ever come here," Kiyoko muttered sadly. She took a sip from her rum and coke and turned her storm grey eyes on her boyfriend.

Haru nodded his agreement, taking another draught from his beer. "It seems like it wasn't long ago we started coming here during freshman year."

"And this is where we first kissed," the dark haired woman added wistfully.

The swimmer frowned, more fond memories of their favorite club surfacing in his mind. The couple was seated at a small table in the corner of the room. It was packed that night, loyal patrons piling in for the final time. The owners were moving, and taking the business with them. Another nightclub would be constructed in the same building, but it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't feel the same or hold the same meaning for them anymore. This club held a lot of significance for them; their relationship had, in many ways, bloomed beneath its flashing lights. Their friendship had grown there, he'd finally felt comfortable enough to kiss her there and dancing had slowly let him grown more comfortable with physical contact. He had become protective of her there, seeing the way drunk men treated women. She had won over his friends and her friends had won him over there. The list went on and on.

"Well, we'll get in a few more while we still have the chance." Haru leaned over the table towards her and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "You look great as usual, by the way."

"Thanks! You, too."

Haru just chuckled. He wore dark wash skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and his navy and white swim team jacket. Nothing special, especially compared to Kiyoko's leather leggings, black ankle boots and red tank top that clung to her form just enough. The neckline of the top was also verging on daringly low, lending a view of an ample amount of cleavage.

"We're hardly comparable."

"I'll say. You look successful and sexy and I'm erring on trashy," she winked.

He shook his head with a small smile and said, "You don't look trashy."

"Ah, well, either way, we both look some kind of good," she laughed.

After procuring another round of drinks, Haru asked, "Have you heard much from your parents lately?"

"No, they've been eerily silent since finding out about quitting my job and the dead orchid," she sighed. "Have you heard from yours at all lately?"

"Yeah, they called last night, actually."

"How are they?" Kiyoko asked, perking up. Haru hardly ever heard from his parents.

"Fine. Busy as usual."

"Oh, any particular reason they called?"

Haru took a sip of beer thoughtfully. "They asked if we were still together. They're mildly amazed you've put up with me so long."

"They haven't even met me; I could be a total weirdo for all they know," she laughed.

"Well, you are sort of weird, being able to deal with me like you do."

Kiyoko rolled her eyes and said, "You don't give yourself enough credit. You're so easy to get along with, Haru, and you're an incredibly thoughtful person. I'm lucky to have you in my life."

He flushed lightly and changed the subject, "My parents also tried to convince me to forget swimming and join the family business again."

Kiyoko frowned. She wished Haru's parents understood how much talent their son had. He was a business major, but it was mostly to appease them while he used the university's swim team to continue to improve his performance and to increase his chances of being scouted by Olympic teams. The young woman gently laced her fingers with his and gave him a reassuring smile. "They'll get over that once you get scouted."

"Maybe," he shrugged. "I'm not really sure I care if they get over it. I've hardly seen them in the past six years; they don't get much say in how I live my life anymore."

"Have you ever noticed how our parents are complete opposites? Mine are too controlling and involved-"

"And mine are completely removed," Haru finished, nodding in agreement. "It's like if we combined them, we'd have one set of functional parents."

Kiyoko laughed and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Very true."

"My parents also urged me to think about asking you to get married, and they lectured me about the dangers of having a baby outside of wedlock. By which I mean that it would be detrimental to the image of the family business." Haru couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Kiyoko bit back another laugh and asked, "Do you often chat with your parents about our premarital sexual activities?"

"They assume it happens; it's not like I call them up and tell chat every time we're together or anything like that."

"I'm teasing," she said with a wink. "Lucky for them we are consistently careful, hm?"

"Well, I don't really want to explain to them our birth control strategies. I just want them to forget their business lives and be regular people who are happy if we're happy."

Kiyoko tilted her head thoughtfully and said, "I think it's fairly normal for parents to pressure their kids to get married and not have babies before then."

"I guess," he grumbled. "Are you hinting at something?"

"No," she replied earnestly. "I'm happy as long as we're together. And even if we got engaged sometime in the near future, neither of us has time to plan a wedding anytime soon. I wouldn't want to get married until I'm established, you know?"

"Agreed." Haru was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you mean… married to me?"

"Of course, you weirdo!" she laughed, shoving his bicep playfully. "Who else?"

"Just making sure," he said with a small smile. It was then that the couple heard the bartenders announcing their last call. The music changed to a fast-paced EDM song, and Haru turned to Kiyoko. " **Can I have this dance?** "

"Absolutely!"

The couple joined the pack of people on the dance floor for the last time. Kiyoko wrapped her arms around his neck and he rested his hands at her hips. Never much for dancing, Haru contented himself with nodding along to the beat and holding Kiyoko close as she rocked her body against his. They had so many great times at that particular club, and even though those times were coming to a close, he was grateful for each and every moment.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for the review I received! It was sincerely appreciated! Thank you for reading, as well! I hope this story continues to be well received. If you like it, or if there are improvements that could be made, please let me know. I will update one more time this week, and then it could be a week before I update again. I am travelling out of state for a week long family reunion and I'm not sure if I will be able to keep to my schedule while I'm there next week. Sorry, but I will do what I can!

In other news, job hunting is stressful. :/


	16. Here, Drink This You'll Feel Better

"Haru, you really should head home. I don't want to-"

"When we move in together, we should keep your bed. It's more comfortable than mine," Haru cut her off.

Kiyoko frowned and tried again, "You're going to get-"

"But my dresser is bigger, so maybe we could keep that, too."

"Haru stop ignoring me!"

He turned his cerulean eyes toward her and said, "I'm not ignoring you. Your attempts at making me leave are just futile. I don't care if I risk getting sick."

"Your coach would kill me if I incapacitated you with my germs."

"I'll be fine," Haru rolled his eyes. "Anyways, coach would kill me then throw me in the pool and tell me to shave off another three seconds."

Kiyoko let out a nasally laugh, before dissolving into a mild coughing fit. She groaned in frustration, flopping back onto her pillows when her coughing had stopped. "This cold or whatever had better not last long; I have shit to do."

Haru knew she was referring to job hunting, potential interviews and the usual homework load. "Don't stress so much."

"Maybe I should get you sick… see if you're humming the same tune when you're out of commission."

"You're cranky when you're sick."

"Normal humans are," she snapped back half-heartedly. Haru could tell her energy was fading fast as her eyes fluttered and she burrowed deeper into her comforter.

Leaning over and placing a peck on her cheek, he asked gently, "Are you cold?"

"A little."

He stood and moved to the ottoman at the foot of her bed, pulling an extra blanket from it. The swimmer draped it over her carefully, smiling when he saw she had already drifted off to sleep. Although he had been adamant that he wasn't concerned about catching her cold, he actually couldn't afford to get sick with the meets he had coming up to round out the end of the semester, so he moved to settle out in her kitchen. He spread his homework on the island and set to work. Haru didn't mind the way the day was turning out. It was much better that Kiyoko feel better than they do homework together for the afternoon as planned.

He felt bad that Kiyoko had fallen ill at such an important time. It was definitely not doing anything for her stress levels. And, as her luck would have it, her father had called her the day before and there was no hiding the congestion in her voice. Her mother had been texting her near constantly to see if she was feeling any better or at least well enough to continue job hunting. The pressure her parents put on her was reaching insane levels as graduation drew closer and Haru's patience for it was running thin.

His patience was running thin with his own parents as well. They were pushing him to take a position within the family business and to continue with his education in business. Apparently, a degree in business wasn't enough to pacify them. It didn't really matter, because no matter what, that wasn't the path he was going to take in life. It was just exhausting trying to get them to see that business wasn't the field for him.

As he finished up one of his assignments, Haru's phone vibrated on the countertop. He picked it up, surprised to see it was Kiyoko's mother.

Mrs. Rota: Hello, Haru, do you know what Kiyoko is up to? She isn't answering her phone and I wanted to ask her a question.

Haru rolled his eyes, knowing the question was whether Kiyoko was back up and running. He typed out a reply, hoping he could nip the conversation in the bud.

Haru: She is sleeping right now. She is definitely not feeling well still.

Mrs. Rota: Oh, dear, I had hoped she'd feel better by now. This is a critical time for you both as you near graduation.

Haru: Well, it's only been two days. I'm sure she'll feel better in no time if given the chance to rest and recuperate.

Mrs. Rota: Of course, though I hope she knows time is a luxury.

The swimmer's temper was being put to the test, which was quite a feat considering his laid back temperament. The time to throw niceties out the window had come.

Haru: She is already really stressed out about being sick right now, and any added stress about it is not going to help her. Kiyoko is bright and talented and won't have a problem finding a job. She just needs time to get well and support instead of pressure. That isn't good for anyone's health or success.

There was a noticeable wait before the next reply came.

Mrs. Rota: I appreciate your concern for Kiyoko, and thank you for taking care of her. However, she needs to be pushed, that's just who she is.

Haru: I think if you really knew her, you would know that's not true. I've stayed with her as she has pulled all-nighters, when she has blisters from working ten hour days while going to school, when she has won awards for academic achievements, when she had her research paper published and so much more. She pushes herself to be even better than her best to the point where she often sacrifices her own happiness. Her happiness is what matters most to me and I have faith in her abilities to succeed, so I don't push her any more than she pushes herself. I apologize if this comes off as rude, but I admit that I am growing tired of seeing her unhappy because of the amount of pressure there is on her. I will make sure she gets back to you once she wakes up.

Luckily, he was finally successful at ending the conversation. Feeling better for having finally said his piece, he put his homework aside and began rummaging through Kiyoko's cabinets.

Kiyoko woke up to a gentle hand shaking her shoulder. With effort, she opened her eyes and found Haru sitting beside her. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and sniffling. "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours."

"Shit, I can't imagine how many texts and missed calls I have from my mom."

Haru frowned and said, "Probably a lot. Many of which may be about your rude boyfriend."

"What're you talking about?"

"When you weren't responding, she texted me, and it got to the point where I finally spoke my mind."

"What did you say?"

Haru sighed, though he noted that Kiyoko didn't sound particularly irritated. Hoping it wasn't the calm before the storm, he said, "That you're intelligent and successful and you will continue to be, especially if you're supported instead of pressure. And also that I value your happiness and have faith in you, so I don't feel the need to add to your stresses."

After a moment of silence, Kiyoko nodded. He could see that she was processing, so he turned to his reason for waking her up. He reached for the mug he had set on her nightstand, handing it to her. " **Here, drink this. You'll feel better.** "

Kiyoko accepted the steaming mug and took a sip of its content. She smiled, enjoying the taste of the herbal tea he had brewed. He added, "There's soup, too, if you're hungry."

A smile spread across her lips. "Thank you, Haru. I appreciate that you care enough to stand up for me to my mother and that you take such good care of me even when I'm cranky."

"I wasn't lying when I said I want you to be happy."

Kiyoko laughed lightly and wrapped him in a hug.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews I received on the last chapter! I sincerely appreciate them! Also, thanks for reading, favoriting and following. No guarantees about this week's update schedule for the reasons stated in my last author's note. Side note: I have no idea if I already gave Kiyoko a last name, but I can't for the life of me remember it if I did and I just don't have time to look back and check. Sorry if I messed that up!


	17. You Can Borrow Mine

Kiyoko perked up, hearing the door to her apartment opening up. She had been deep in schoolwork and job searching all day, but the time had finally arrived for Haru to come over for dinner. She saved the application she was filling out, marked her pages in her textbooks, and began closing things up when Haru walked into the kitchen. She quirked a brow, seeing that he had his phone pressed to his ear and an annoyed expression on his face.

He gave her a small wave of his hand in greeting before gesturing at the phone and rolling his eyes. The swimmer sat down in the seat beside hers at the island, pulling the phone from his ear and turning it on speaker before placing it on the counter top.

"But, dear, at least consider doing both, won't you?" the voice of Haru's mom came from the speaker.

"That isn't really an option, mom."

There was an irritated huff, followed by, "Why not? I'm not saying it would be easy, but-"

"Because if I don't give my all to swimming I will never make it. Being on a national team, if I'm recruited to one, would take up an enormous amount of time and if I didn't put in all that time, I'd likely lose my spot and definitely wouldn't make it to the Olympics."

"Putting all your eggs into one basket that many people are putting all their eggs into doesn't seem like a practical course of action, Haruka."

The dark haired male lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Kiyoko had a frown firmly set on her lips since the beginning of the conversation. Sometimes she got so caught up in her own problems with her parents that she forgot Haru's could be just as awful.

"Just because it isn't a risk you would take doesn't mean it's not the right decision for me."

There was a pause and they soon discovered that the phone was being passed along to his father. "Haru, do not disrespect your mother. She is only trying to help you make the safest choice."

"I understand you both mean well," Haru replied, sounding exhausted. "But you can't make my decisions for me."

"What about the degree you've worked so hard for? Are you just going to let it go to waste?"

"It wasn't a waste because it kept both of us happy. I got to swim and you were both happy I was studying business."

"Well, we thought that meant you would be doing something in business."

Haru scoffed and snapped, "I guess that shows how much you assume versus how much you know about me."

There was another pause and the phone audibly shifted hands. "What is with all of the attitude, Haruka?"

"We've been on the phone for an hour and you guys are still trying to convince me to follow your dream rather than my own."

"But you haven't just been disrespectful toward us, from what I hear."

Haru sighed, and Kiyoko raised a brow in confusion again. He asked, "What do you mean, mom?"

"Kiyoko's mother sent me an interesting email last week."

Kiyoko's heart sank. She knew exactly the kind of email her mother must have sent Haru's mom. She wasn't someone who held back when sharing what she thought, and she was prone to overreactions. And considering that Haru had stuck up for her to her mother, she was sure her mom had been nothing short of affronted.

"And you're displeased that I supported Kiyoko instead of her mother?" Haru guessed.

"Well, of course you should keep Kiyoko happy, but you need to stay on her parents' good side!" his mother said as if it was obvious.

"I'd prefer it if they liked me, but it's not them I'm dating, it's her."

Another shift of the phone and his dad came back on the line, chiding, "Her parents will never give you their marriage blessing if you disrespect them."

"Luckily, Kiyoko is a smart, independent woman who is perfectly capable of deciding if she wants to marry me or not. Again, if her parents were happy about it, that would be preferable, but what's more important is if Kiyoko and I decide to get married."

"And what happens when you're still feuding with one set of grandparents?"

"What happens when we don't have kids?"

"Haruka, I expect grandchildren!" his mother practically wailed in the background.

Cerulean eyes rolled for the umpteenth time. "Well, I'm not going to have time to be the primary caregiver, and will probably have to travel with my swim team, so she would have to want to be the primary caregiver, and the sole caregiver when I'm travelling. She is actually here with me, so I'll ask again if that's something she wants. Kiyoko, do you want to be a full time mom?"

"My career is very important to me, so the only way I'd consider having children is if parenting would be fifty-fifty. As important as my career is to me, I wouldn't ask you to give up yours just because it wouldn't allow for equal distribution of parenting responsibilities."

"So, I guess that settles the grandchildren question. Sorry, mom."

An angry splutter was heard on the other line and his mother griped, "Just tear my heart in two; you don't want anything to do with the family business, you're not concerned about offending your potential in-laws and you two are determined not to have children."

"Mrs. Nanase, I understand your disappointment. My parents aren't happy with our plans for the future either. But Haru is different than you and I'm different than my parents. But what I think we all agree on is that happiness is what's most important. Swimming makes Haru happy, and my field of study makes me happy. And beyond that, Haru makes me happier than anyone else has ever been able to. So even if this isn't the future you envisioned for your son, he is a wonderful person with a big heart, a lot of passion and he is an amazing boyfriend."

"Well," the older woman sighed after a long moment, "at least we raised a gentleman. Haru, we will talk again soon."

"Alright, mom. Bye."

"Good bye, dear."

Haru ended the call then let out a long sigh. "Suddenly they care about my life and I wish they had kept their distance."

"Well, it's like you said, Haru… it'd be nice if they were happy, but what matters is that we do what will make us happy." He hummed his agreement, but the irritation was still evident in his expression and body language. "I really appreciate everything you did for me when I was sick and it means a lot what you said to my mother. I'm sorry it caused you problems with your parents."

"I knew you'd do the same for me, and you just proved that I was right by sticking up for me to my parents. And anyways, I'm here for you. You're really important to me." Kiyoko grinned and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Anyway, that whole conversation with my parents could have been avoided if I hadn't screwed up and lost my debit card. I had to cancel it and I had hoped my parents could activate the emergency credit card they gave me freshman year, but I never got that far. They lost it after finding out I'd lost my card because 'how do I expect to run a sector of the family business if I'm so careless?'"

"Well, **you can borrow mine**."

"What?"

"My debit card. You can borrow it until your new one comes in the mail."

He shook his head quickly, saying, "That's okay, I couldn't."

"It's no big deal, Haru. I have a credit card, too, so I'll be fine. And I know you're good for the money. And anyways, if we get married someday, we'll have to trust each other financially."

The swimmer was silent for a stretch of time and Kiyoko could practically see the gears turning. Finally, he nodded once and said, "You're right. Thanks, Kiyoko."

"Anytime. You're important to me, too."

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing, favoriting and following. I am really sorry I was unable to update this week, but we should be back on schedule. This story is almost finished, so please continue to read, follow, favorite and review. I am truly interested to hear what you all think of this story, especially as we near the end.


	18. You Can Have Half

"Haru!"

The swimmer looked up from the mackerel he was pan frying at the indication that his girlfriend had arrived. She entered the kitchen a moment later, looking cheerful.

"Hi, Makoto," she greeted the male seated on a stool at the island.

"Hey, Kiyoko, how are you?" Makoto asked, pausing in the homework he was doing.

"Really well, actually. And you? You have a date with Aiko tonight, right?"

Makoto nodded. "I'm pretty good. We do have a date tonight; I'm actually going to head out pretty soon. We're going to go see a movie."

"Sounds fun!" The dark haired woman grinned. She came up behind Haru then, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"You're in a good mood," he commented, still tending to the fish.

"I am," she confirmed before pulling away, mindful of Makoto's presence.

"Kiyoko, any advice for Professor Kito's cognitive psych final?

She nodded at the green eyed swimmer. "Make sure you know the difference between proactive and retroactive interference, pay special attention to language acquisition and also make sure you study the gestalt principles."

"Thanks, that'll help a lot."

"Yeah, she's not much for giving hints on what she considers important," she agreed.

"That's for sure. I'm assuming you're going to Aiko's party after finals?"

"That's the plan! Otherwise the cute little black number I bought earlier today will go to waste."

"Aiko's having a party?" Haru spoke up.

Kiyoko nodded. "Yeah, I was gonna tell you about it tonight."

He nodded once before turning back to dinner preparations. Kiyoko meanwhile reached down into the bag she had brought in with her and pulled out the aforementioned little black number. She held it up to herself, turning stormy grey eyes to him. It was a simple black dress with caps sleeves and a low sweetheart style neckline. It fell to about mid-thigh and the skirt looked like it might flare out some.

"What do you think? With some jewelry and my mint green pumps?"

Haru nodded his approval. She smiled and turned to the other male. "Makoto?"

Makoto looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "You have black and white tribal print heels, right?"

"I do. But I was thinking a pop of color would provide the visual interest you need to pull off something simple and black."

"I think the tribal print will have the same effect, and Aiko has a belt that would match those shoes if you wanted to belt the dress."

"Oh, good idea! I forgot she had that, Makoto! I'll have to ask to borrow it. That'd be perfect."

"No problem. Aiko has admittedly gotten me hooked on a bunch of fashion shows," he chuckled.

"Yeah, she definitely loves those. And like… hair styling shows, right?"

Makoto laughed again and said, "Oh, yes, we've been watching plenty of those. And may I suggest a messy up-do to complete your look for Aiko's party?"

Kiyoko chuckled and asked, "And why is that?"

"In my expert opinion, it will be dressy enough for a black dress but dressed down enough for a party we're all probably going to get drunk at," he jested, faking an air of professional confidence. More seriously, he added, "I'm actually only half joking about that."

The dark haired woman chuckled but considered the suggestion for a moment, a finger to her lower lip. "That's some really good food for thought, Makoto."

"Makoto, didn't you say you had to leave soon?" Haru interjected.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Makoto agreed. He began gathering up his books and notebooks. "Thanks again for the study tips, Kiyoko."

"Any time!" she replied with a smile. "Thanks for the fashion advice."

Makoto disappeared for a moment before returning with his jacket on. Good byes were exchanged and he left to go meet Aiko. Kiyoko took his vacated seat and watched her boyfriend begin to plate their food.

"Why did you kick Makoto out?" she asked finally.

"I didn't. He said himself he had to go."

Kiyoko sighed but dropped it. "I'm going to go change real quick if that's okay with you. I'm going to use the fact that we're alone to my advantage and take this stupid bra off."

Haru nodded and said, "Dinner is ready when you're done."

The dark haired woman nodded and disappeared to his bedroom. She reemerged only a couple minutes later wearing a pair of short cotton shorts and an oversized t-shirt. The couple sat beside each other at the island and began eating.

"So what had you in such a good mood? Was Makoto's advice really that helpful?" Haru asked in his usual monotone.

"It was good advice, but that's not why I was in such a good mood," Kiyoko explained. "You don't have to worry about Makoto making me happy."

"I wasn't worried," he replied easily. Not quite believing him, Kiyoko merely nodded, letting it go. Haru turned to her and asked, "So then what did have you so happy?"

Kiyoko's lips split into a huge grin. "I stopped by that bakery near school after my final today and bought myself a huge red velvet cupcake."

He blinked at her once and then asked, "You were that happy about a cupcake?"

"You don't understand; it's huge and amazing looking," she said with emphasis. She reached down and extracted a turquoise bakery box. Setting it on the counter, she carefully opened the top. Haru peered inside, curious, to find a rather large cupcake topped with beautifully swirled cream cheese frosting and a mixture of white and dark chocolate shavings.

"It looks good," he agreed. "Though I'm curious how it was able to make your day so great."

"Look at it!" she laughed. "How could this not make my day great?! **You can have half** , by the way."

Haru shrugged and said, "It's okay, I wouldn't want to take away from something you're so excited about."

"Stop being grumpy," Kiyoko ordered, giving him a playful nudge of her shoulder. "I'm more than willing to share my day making cupcake with the person who makes every day better."

Cerulean eyes traced her face for a moment before he gave her a small smile. "Okay, we'll split it then."

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A/N: Thanks for reading and favoriting! Only three more chapters to go! Please consider leaving a review; I truly appreciate them and want to hear from you. I had a lot of fun writing this one. Yay for jealous Haru!


	19. Watch Your Step

"Can you believe that this is happening?"

The dark haired male looked down at the woman in his arms. He placed a kiss on her temple and just hummed his agreement.

Kiyoko pressed on, saying, "This could be the last time we have sex in this apartment. In this bed, since we're keeping mine for our new apartment."

"Well, if it is the last time, we went out with a bang," he muttered into her hair.

"Yeah, but isn't it crazy to think about? You got recruited, I lucked out and was offered a job in the same city, we're graduating in two days, and then we're heading straight into apartment hunting. Everything is happening."

Haru nodded and Kiyoko could sense he was thinking about something. She waited patiently until he said, "When my last year of high school was ending, I was in a panic in the face of change and decisions. I wanted to ignore everything and put off moving on to the next phase of my life. Makoto and I got into a fight, and that's when Rin took me to Australia to get away and sort things out. But I don't feel like that at all this time around."

Kiyoko shifted, turning in his embrace. "I'm glad things are going better this time."

"Me too. Though another trip would have been fun."

"In no time, you'll be travelling with your team."

"Hopefully you'll be able to come with me some of the time."

"Hopefully!" Kiyoko agreed enthusiastically. "I'll just have to win over your new coach so the rules get bent to my benefit."

Haru gave her a small smile and replied, "That shouldn't be hard. People love you."

The brunette laughed lightly and said, "Oh, I don't know about that. I just try to be friendly. Anyway, did your parents agree to coming to dinner with mine tomorrow after the ceremony?"

"Yes, they're sticking around until the next day, so they'll be there."

"My parents will be glad to hear that." Haru watched her expression shift. "I'm sort of nervous, though."

The swimmer blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Haru, we've been together for almost three years and they've never met me. What if they don't approve?"

"It doesn't really matter, especially because if they had put in any semblance of effort they could have met you at any point in the past three years. But regardless, they already like you on the basis that I won't shame them by never getting married. They're still sore that they may not become grandparents, but trust me; they'll happily keep pushing that issue."

"Well, at least we know our parents will get along well."

"And anyways, they've seen pictures of you and are thrilled that not only do I have a chance to get married someday, but I have a chance to get married to someone really attractive. Once they see you in person, they'll approve. They also know you're smart, so…"

"You flatter me," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Not at all."

"That's the afterglow talking."

"The afterglow?"

The brunette nodded. "The post-sex afterglow. I don't think you have a particularly unbiased opinion considering what we basically just finished doing."

"I think you look good in clothes, too, we can just do different things when you're out of them," he jested in his usual straight-faced way.

"Back at you," Kiyoko replied with a flirty wink. She changed the subject, her face turning more serious. "I had a dream last that I tripped and fell as I went to accept my diploma."

" **Watch your step** ," he said simply.

Kiyoko smiled. She needed the simplicity that came of being with Haru. He grounded her and reminded her of what really mattered. "Thanks, Haru."

He shrugged off her thanks, ever unaware of how much she appreciated him, and wrapped an arm around her waist. Using his hold on her, he pulled her to lie on top of him. In their new position, he placed a kiss on her nose, letting his fingers skim up and down her back. Cerulean eyes travelled over her face, but he didn't say anything else.

Kiyoko smiled, placing her lips on his. He was the sweet, gentle type of boy who was honestly perfect for her. "Would you be up for another round?"

Haru chuckled lightly and replied, "Didn't we just talk about how attractive you are? Of course."

"Perfect," she grinned mischievously, leaning down to kiss him again.

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A/N: Thanks for favoriting and following! Sorry this chapter is so short and it's up a little late. Only two more chapters to go! Please consider reviewing as this story comes to a close.


	20. Can I Hold Your Hand?

As soon as the new graduates had finished their procession out of the arena, Haru headed up the line towards where Kiyoko would be. He found her quickly and was met with her beaming face. She threw her arms around him and slammed her lips on his. He couldn't help but smile at her excitement, wrapping his own arms around her.

"Haru! This is it; we did it!"

He nodded and said, "We're an apartment hunt away from starting our future together."

She kissed him again before pulling away just in time to spare him from also being enveloped in Aiko's hug. The brunette hugged her pixie haired friend back tightly, neither one talking. Haru knew that as happy as Kiyoko was about moving forward with him, she was really upset to be parting ways with her best friend.

Haru felt much the same, and was reminded of that fact when Makoto approached him. His green eyed friend had accepted a teaching position in a town near the city Aiko would be continuing her studies in. They would be close, which was good for their blossoming relationship, but for the first time since forming their childhood friendship, Haru and Makoto would be apart. They had definitely come to terms with it in the past year; distance wouldn't tear them apart, but it would be an unpleasant adjustment.

"Ready for the next great adventure?" Makoto asked with a smile.

"Definitely," Haru nodded. The two paused for a moment before simultaneously moving in for a hug.

"Come on guys, you couldn't wait for me?" Rin interrupted with a smirk.

Makoto laughed and Haru allowed a small smile to form on his lips. The three swimmers moved in for a brief group hug, silently acknowledging the changes ahead. They separated and saw that Kiyoko and Aiko were each trying to dab the other's teary face without messing up their makeup too much.

"Why did I think I could keep it together enough to wear eyeliner?" Aiko asked.

Kiyoko replied with a watery laugh and said, "For the same reason I didn't put on waterproof mascara?"

They smiled and pocketed their tissues, turning to the boys. Rin grinned and said, "Well, ladies, neither of you got a piece of this in the last four years, but rest assured, you will have the chance at our future reunions."

"Oh, thank goodness," Aiko feigned relief.

"Here I thought I had really messed up by wasting the opportunity," Kiyoko added.

Rin laughed and gave Kiyoko a tight hug. "It was a genuine pleasure hanging and drinking with you. May you forever be able to hold large amounts of liquor."

As the redhead turned to Aiko, Makoto wrapped Kiyoko in an embrace. "It's been great getting to know you, Kiyoko. Thank you for taking care of Haru and making him so happy."

"Thank you for doing the same for Aiko," Kiyoko replied, tightening her hold on the much taller boy.

Haru gave Aiko a hug as well, albeit an awkward one, and they took a few photos on their phones before reluctantly parting ways. Makoto and Aiko moved off to say goodbye to some of her other friends and to meet up with their parents, and Rin had been whisked away by Gou.

"Should we find our parents?" Haru asked.

"That would probably be best," the brunette nodded. "Do I look okay? I really thought I could get through this tear free."

Blue eyes roamed her face for a moment before he gently rubbed his thumb across the corner of her eye, removing a black smudge there. "Beautiful as always."

"Ever the charmer," Kiyoko laughed lightly.

"Just being honest," he shrugged. The couple began walking towards the reception area where families were invited to get food and drinks. "Are you okay?"

Kiyoko nodded. "I'm alright. It was hard seeing Aiko, not knowing when we'll see each other in person again, but she's off on a path that will make her happy and I am too. Are you okay?"

"I am. Makoto, Rin and I have been friends since we were young kids; we've been through a lot together and our friendship will survive this as well. I think I see your parents."

He was right, and they joined them at a table. Kiyoko accepted hugs and congratulations from her parents who then turned and offered the same to Haru. The couple had hardly sat down when Kiyoko's mother began gushing over Haru.

"Haru, dear, we are just so happy for you, being recruited to such a promising team! Do you think the Olympics might be in your future?"

"Ideally. Hopefully this will put me on the fast track to getting there."

"Excellent, excellent," Kiyoko's father nodded. "What an accomplishment, recruitment and a degree in business."

Her mother laughed and said, "We could hardly have hoped that the boy Kiyoko chose to date would be so talented and accomplished."

"Well, thank you, though I owe a lot to Kiyoko, too," Haru replied, but quickly realized that they weren't really interested in Kiyoko's role in his successes.

Her father clapped him on the shoulder and asked, "So, when should we expect to see Kiyoko with a ring? Should I start making arrangements to empty out the wedding fund?"

"Dad, please don't pester him about that, especially today," Kiyoko said, sounding exasperated.

"Fine, fine," he agreed good-naturedly. "But I do hope it's on the horizon since you'll be moving in together shortly."

Haru had to fight to pay attention to the conversation at hand. It was the same old thing and he was getting sick of hearing it from both of their parents. If their last year together had taught him anything, it was that there was nobody out there for him besides Kiyoko. He was sure they'd get married someday, so why did it have to be right away? Why couldn't it wait until they were more established and had the time to plan the wedding they wanted?

"Haru, are those your parents?" Kiyoko asked.

His eyes moved in the direction she gestured to and nodded. "Yeah, that's them."

"Kiyoko, go with Haru and greet them! Don't make them wait any longer to meet you. Oh, I wish you had put a little more makeup on; you know it really does make you look more put together."

"If you'll excuse us, we'll be back in a moment with my parents." Haru stood, his patience dwindling. Kiyoko followed suit and Haru took her hand before they disappeared into the crowd towards where they had last seen his parents.

"Wait, Haru, **can I hold your hand**? In front of your parents I mean?"

The swimmer chuckled lightly and said, "Obviously. Don't worry so much."

"Okay," she said, though her brows were still slightly drawn together with worry.

His parents spotted him then, and they moved in, congratulating and hugging Haru. Once they had pulled back, he said, "Thanks. Mom, Dad, this is Kiyoko."

"A pleasure to finally meet you," Kiyoko said with a deep bow.

"Oh, dear, no need to be so formal! We're very happy to meet you as well, though we feel as though we know you already from all the things Haruka has told us," his mother said kindly, hugging Kiyoko as well.

His father shook her hand and joked, "Thank you so much for putting up with our son all these years."

"It's been a joy meeting and getting to know Haruka," Kiyoko replied genuinely. "You've raised a really wonderful son."

"Thank you; we're so happy he found someone so polite, put together and who appreciates him for him."

Kiyoko flushed in embarrassment, but Haru just smiled. For once, he and his parents agreed on something.

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A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely review I received as well as for reading, favoriting and following. This is the second to last chapter! Please review and share your thoughts as this story comes to a close. I've had a lot of fun writing this and would sincerely appreciate feedback.


	21. I Love You

"Haru, glad you could make it!"

"I wouldn't have missed it, Coach," the swimmer replied politely. He then looked down at the slightly nervous woman beside him. "This is Kiyoko, my girlfriend."

"A pleasure to meet you," Kiyoko greeted with a smile, extending her hand.

The coach shook her hand and replied, "I'm glad to meet you as well. It's been nearly six months since Haru joined the team ; it's about time we meet."

"Has it been six months already? Time certainly flies!" Kiyoko laughed lightly. "I'd have loved to meet the team sooner, but work has kept me busy."

"Ah, yes, you have quite the interesting job from what Haru has said. Please, let's join the others and continue this conversation."

The couple nodded their agreement and followed the older man to a large table in the back of the restaurant. This was the second dinner the team had hosted since Haru joined, but Kiyoko had been unable to attend the first one because of an event her organization was hosting. Looking around at the restaurant's décor and the way the other swimmers and their guests were dressed, Kiyoko was glad she and Haru had chosen formal attire.

They arrived at the table and introductions were made. Some of the other swimmers were accompanied by their significant others as well. Everyone seemed friendly, and the table was enveloped by casual conversation even as food began to arrive.

"So, Kiyoko, do you ever get tired of eating mackerel?" asked Gorou, one of the other swimmers.

The dark haired woman chuckled and said, "No, I don't eat it half as often as Haru does. It makes grocery shopping easier, though. I just buy it every week and he cooks it and I cook what I want."

"I don't blame you; that would be a crazy amount of mackerel if you ate it whenever he did," Gorou teased good-naturedly. "It's a bonus that he cooks for himself!"

"We both cook," Kiyoko clarified. "It all depends on our schedules."

"Oh, right, you have quite the job from what Haru has said."

Kiyoko waved the sentiment off and said, "It's just a job I'm passionate about, same as you all."

"What is it you do?" inquired Maru, Gorou's girlfriend.

"I work at a re-entry facility helping prison inmates make the transition back into society."

"Oh my gosh!"Maru gasped. "That sounds dangerous! Haru, don't you worry for her?"

"Not really," Haru answered honestly. "The majority of her clients were non-violent offenders and the few that were have done their time and have been deemed not dangerous. And anyways, she is a capable woman who can handle herself and she loves what she does."

"Honestly, I think I worry about him more than he worries for me," Kiyoko smiled. "He's supportive of me, and I worry some day he'll come home injured."

The rest of the dinner carried on with more friendly banter, conversation and a lot of delicious food. The large group left at the same time, exchanging goodbyes outside the restaurant as people went their separate ways.

"Great to see you as always, Haru," said his Coach. "It's always fun to see the team outside of the water or meetings. And it was a genuine pleasure to finally get to meet you, Kiyoko. I hope we will be seeing more of you."

"I don't plan on parting ways with this one any time soon," Kiyoko smiled, placing a hand in the crook of Haru's elbow. Teasingly, she added, "Though if he is continually late for dinner…"

The coach laughed and promised, "We'll fall into a better routine in time."

"I'll hold you to that," the brunette grinned. "Regardless, it was a pleasure meeting the team, and I hope to see you all again soon."

"Thanks for organizing everything, Coach," Haru added. "See you Monday."

"Monday," his coach confirmed with a nod.

The couple finished their goodbyes before walking down the street toward their shared apartment. They had lucked out and the coach had selected a venue within walking distance of their home, which meant they didn't have to use the metro in their nice clothes. Haru's eyes passed over his girlfriend appreciatively as they walked. She wore a black dress with a somewhat low V-neck that came in at the waist before trailing over her hips and ending in an asymmetric hem. The gold buckles on her black ankle boots clinked pleasantly as she walked.

Haru took her hand and pulled her down the street they were passing. Kiyoko looked up at him and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To see the new fountain they put in the park."

"At eleven o'clock at night?"

"Yeah, it should have lit up after the sun set."

"Okay," she agreed easily.

They walked on in comfortable silence, their hands swinging between them. Eventually, they reached the center of the park, where a large fountain was spouting water skyward. It was illuminated by soft white lights which refracted off the light colored stone of the fountain. A few coins from wish-makers were scattered along the bottom of the fountain. Haru smiled, enjoying the sound of the water splashing from the top of the fountain and into the base below.

Cerulean eyes watched Kiyoko walk slowly toward the fountain before perching atop the basin wall. The swimmer followed suit, sitting beside her. She dipped her fingers in the water, swirling patterns into the surface.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight."

"No problem, Haru. I really wanted to get to know your team. What's important to you is important to me."

After a moment, the black haired male mentioned, "You look great, by the way."

"Thanks!" she replied cheerfully. "I'm glad we went more formal; we would've stuck out for sure."

Haru hummed his agreement. He listened to the bubbling and splashing of the fountain and fought the urge to submerge his hands in the basin. He took a deep breath and directed his gaze at the sky.

"Are you okay?" Kiyoko asked suddenly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" he asked, not meeting her gaze.

"I don't know… You've been particularly quiet tonight," she answered with a slight frown.

Haru shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Okay," she allowed, turned her grey eyes to the water flowing from the fountain. It was a beautiful structure, and she found herself lost watching the way the moonlight glinted off the water.

"Kiyoko?" Haru's heart skipped when she turned her attention to him. "You said you don't plan on parting ways any time soon; could you see us ever parting ways?"

She tilted her head slightly in confusion and said, "No, I can't really see anything that could convince me to part ways."

"So… in fifty years, we could still be together?" He watched her expression of confusion deepen but she nodded nonetheless. "Then we should make it official."

"What do you mean?"

"Will you marry me?"

Storm grey eyes blinked a few times before her lips parted in a beaming grin. "Of course, Haru!"

She wrapped him up in a tight hug which he returned. They sat there for a long moment before Haru pulled away. He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and extracted a ring. Kiyoko offered him her left hand and he slipped it on her finger, relieved when it fit. He watched her examine the white gold band which was braided elegantly around the sides, giving way to a simple setting which held a pillow cut solitaire diamond. It was simple and beautiful.

"It's gorgeous, Haru," she said with another smile.

"I'm glad," he replied earnestly. He hesitated a moment before asking, "I know I haven't been explicit about it but… you do know **I love you** , right?"

Kiyoko's heart swelled at finally hearing those words. "I know, Haru. I love you, too. I'm happy to hear you say it, but the most important thing you've taught me is that there are many ways to say we love each other."

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A/N: Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end. I'd especially like to thank Coka Cookie Cola and Riko-san for being so supportive and for their wonderful reviews. I would love to know what you all think of this ending and of the story as a whole. Thank you all again; I've had a lot of fun with this one!


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